Posts Tagged ‘MS Dhoni’
Team India’s golden run continues, as skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and boys end the year (2008) on a ‘winning note’, with Dhoni’s brigade winning the Test series against England 1-nil.
Even though the final Test at Mohali ended in a draw, it was celebration time for the Indian players, as Dhoni’s boys lifted the trophy after an impressive performance against Kevin Pietersen’s side. This is just one of the many victories that Team India have scripted in the year 2008.
India outplayed England in the one day series to win 5-nil and before the ‘Winter War’ rages on, India trashed Ricky Ponting’s men to lift the ‘Border-Gavaskar’ trophy, an absolutely extra ordinary year for Indian cricket – which also saw Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble retire from international cricket.
India’s on-field performance are paying off the field following a successful 2008 season. Team India have retained the number two spot in ICC Test Rankings, this feat comes after Dhoni and boys won the Test series against England 1-nil.
Following their win the opening Test at Chennai and draw in the final Test, India surged ahead of South Africa taking a one point lead at number two slot, a position the India has held on briefly after trashing the Australians 2-nil.
Here’s a look at the ranking’s table:
Australia remains on the firing line after the defeat at Perth, and is still retaining the top spot with 130 points. Team India stands at the second place with 118 points, meanwhile South Africa fares just a point behind at 117. However the Proteas will be hoping to continue their good form ‘Down Under’ and retain the number two peg by winning the ‘Boxing Day Test’.
The former English players have again hailed Team India’s performances, and David Lloyd has gone on to declare, “India is definitely the number one Test side in world cricket, in fact the former England all-rounder believes that, India has always been a better side in the ‘Winter War’ – and at the moment, they are the best in business.”
Derek Pringle too has hailed the efforts of an united Team India but the former English paceman has especially, praised skipper MS Dhoni’ s leadership skills and his confidence, in leading a youngish team to the summit of world cricket.
According to David Lloyd, the famed former English player, “India has always been the better team in the series and in my opinion, constitutes the best team in the world in Tests at present. On the other hand, England has also played its part and can only learn from their Indian experience.”
Just as India end the year on a winning note, it’s time to cast a glance at India’s best wins of the 2008 season.
After umpires cheated India in Sydney and the ‘Monkey Gate’ saga, a spirited team India stunned the Aussies by an impressive fightback to conquer Perth. India denied Australia a record 17th straight victory by dismissing them for 340, going on to win the third Test at Perth by 72 runs.
What followed in the one-day series was phenomenal, with Dhoni leading India to script a historic win and lift the CB series. The Sachin Tendulkar being the star performer for the ‘Men in Blue, after a century in the first final, the ‘Little Master’ scored 91 to beat the Aussies on their own soil.
Again, in the home series against South Africa, India fought back from being 1-nil down to draw the series against Proteas. India also finished the Kanpur Test in 3 days, this being Dhoni’s first Test as the skipper with Kumble getting injured. Spinner Harbhajan Singh was adjudged the ‘Player of the Series’ for Team India.
It was revenge time for Team India as Australia arrived in India. India’s golden run continued, as the Aussies were demolished by Team India at Mohali, after Ganguly slammed a century and Tendulkar went on to become the ‘King of Test’ cricket by surpassing Brian Lara – as the highest run scorer in the Tests in first Test.
The final Test at Nagpur witnessed a historic Test victory by Team India, as Dhoni led India with Kumble retiring from international cricket. India reclaimed the ‘Border Gavaskar’ trophy, after 8 long years in the farewell Test of Sourav Ganguly. India humiliated the Australians and won the series 2-nil.
India 155/6: Chennai Test Day 2
Posted on: December 13, 2008
India has been left in a spot of bother on Friday (Dec 12) after the home team ended the day with 155 for 6 at stumps after the top order failed to bat big on Day 2 of the Test match against England in Chennai. Captain Dhoni said the home team would be looking to add at least another 50 runs in their first innings with four wickets still intact.
India made a poor start to their innings losing 3 wickets before the tea break after Debutant Graeme Swann picked up 2 wickets in his first over to leave India at 37 for 3. Just when Laxman and Tendulkar came together to stictch together a vital 50 run stand fot the 4th wicket, Monty Panesar spoiled India’s plans as Laxman perished giving a straight forward catch to Panesar.
A double blow was in store for India as Tendulkar departed in qucik succesion to leave India in a preacarious situation with the score board reading 105 for 5. Yuvraj Singh was the sixth wicket to fall after Harmison induced an edge to Yuvis bat to be caught at 1st Slip. Harbhajan SIngh has joined Ms Dhoni in the middle as India find themselves in a precarious situation.
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Friday (Dec 12) admitted that the two crucial dismissals in the last over before tea by Graeme Swann put the hosts on the back foot but asserted his side was very much in the game against England in Chennai.
“We had a bad day in office. England bowled really well in the right areas. Just before tea we lost two wickets that was very crucial. (Graeme) Swann bowled well. If you see the wickets that he had taken they were of perfect balls. The ball that he bowled to Rahul (Dravid) was a really good ball,” Dhoni said after the match.
“Credit goes to England, they bowled well with the new ball. They have the upper hand right now but we will look to score 50 runs to start off with the lower order. It will be tough but I think if we can reach 200-250 it will be good. In the past we have seen opponents getting 100 odd runs lead and still losing the game,” he added.
“Tomorrow is important, how long we stay at the crease and how much we score accordingly we can say the target. The pitch has started to assist the spinners. But it is still not alarming. The odd ball is bouncing. We have seen worst wickets than this.”
Dhoni also admitted that his boys did not have much match practice before the Test series but made it clear that he was not looking for any excuses. “Yes we didn’t get enough time. Before the Australian series we had a 15-day camp. But it all happens, we are not here to blame anything,” he said.
On Dravid getting out cheaply again after a woeful Test series against Australia, Dhoni defended his former skipper and insisted a player of Dravid’s class will find his grooves sooner than later. “It (lean patch) happens. When you have a long career there will be patches when you won’t be doing well. There will be patches in the peak of your form when you always get big scores. It happens with great players. We are not really worried about it.
“Rahul is very talented and determined guy. His determination and commitment to cricket is excellent. He is working really hard and hopefully he will get runs.” Dhoni refused to be dragged on to Sports Minister MS Gill’s remarks that India should not tour Pakistan in January next year in the wake of Mumbai terror attacks.
“I don’t want to say anything on it. It’s upto the government. The word has been sent across to the Board. Whether to go or not to go we still have time for that. We are now preoccupied with the England series,” he said. The home team captain also rubbished claims of an on-field confrontation between his deputy Yuvraj Singh and Andrew Flintoff today.
“I know Yuvraj very well. These are the things he really likes. He always likes to go around and chit-chat. This is what happened between them in the Twenty20 matches also. I don’t think it was because of the chit chat between them that Yuvraj got out. There was a bad shot selection.
“It’s fair enough such things go on in the field to make it more interesting. The crowd was also quite down and that was the time he started speaking. It adds to the excitement of the game,” Dhoni said.
Yuvraj Singh
Posted on: December 11, 2008
Cricket would score over terrorism and more than the outcome, both the teams would hope to apply balm on the wounds of India’s terror-stricken populace when they host England for the first cricket Test in Chennai today (Dec 11).
Since the November 26 Mumbai mayhem, it took umpteen hectic parleys and individual behind-the-door persuasion by both the Indian and English Boards to convince that India is safe enough to continue the tour they had abruptly abandoned after the Mumbai massacre.
To their credit, Pietersen and his teammates, including the reluctant trio of Andrew Flintoff, Steve Harmison and Graeme Swann, put behind their personal apprehension and decided to board the India-bound flight after security adviser Reg Dickason had given the green signal for the series.
But now that the terror scare has been overcome, weather god poses the most serious threat to the Test with the possibility of rain hovering over the eagerly awaited Test.
Despite England returning with a full-strength team, the match on paper looks heavily tilted in favour of the Indians, who bulldozed the visitors 5-0 in the ODI series.
However all eyes will be on none other than the left-hander Yuvraj Singh, who makes a comeback into the Indian Test squad after the retirement of veteran Sourav Ganguly.
It’s time now for the Yuvraj to step in and show the world that he belongs at the International Test scenario. But filling the void created by Ganguly’s retirement won’t be an easy job.
Riding high on his rolicking form the young left-handed dasher powered his way into the Test team. Yuvraj will be hoping to translate this form into the longest format of the game. Yuvraj, who had played his last Test against South Africa at Kanpur in April, has been in sizzling form with two centuries in the recent ODI series against England before it was called off following the terror attacks in Mumbai.
So far Yuvraj has failed to establish himself as a Test cricketer having played just 23 test matches since bursting on the scene nearly eight years ago.
Skipper MS Dhoni is hoping to use the southpaw’s all round skills to good effect in the Tests. But pressure will be on Yuvraj to perform and book his berth in the Indian Test team.
Tamil Nadu batsmen S Badrinath and Murali Vijay, paceman Munaf Patel and left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha, who are part of the 15-member squad, have been left out for the first Test beginning at the MA Chidambaram stadium today.
Yuvraj’s inclusion means that the home team will go into the game with seven batsmen and four specialist bowlers. While the in-form Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma will spearhead the pace attack, Harbhajan Singh and leg spinner Amit Mishra, who has come into the team after the retirement of former captain and ace spinner Anil Kumble, will shoulder the spin bowling responsibility.
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