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[candymachine]

Tendulkar salutes Dhoni's captaincy
14 April 2009, 4:29 pm



Sachin Tendulkar has praised the leadership skills of MS Dhoni, who has overseen a successful six months for India after taking over as captain in all three formats.

"I'm extremely happy and delighted at the way he [Dhoni] has conducted himself," Tendulkar said. "He is a balanced guy, is always on his toes all the time. Before he was made the captain, standing in the slips I interacted with him, and [he] picked [up a] lot of things which clearly indicated that he has a sharp brain, his approach was pretty clear and not complicated."

India are fresh from their first Test series win in New Zealand in 41 years, and also beat Australia and England at home in the past eight months. Dhoni also led India to their longest winning-streak in one-dayers during comprehensive series victories over England and Sri Lanka.

Tendulkar was also happy with the strong team spirit in the side, and said he was enjoying his role as a senior member. "To players like Harbhajan Singh or Yuvraj Singh, I'm like their elder brother. I share information not just with them but also with other members of the side. It's a terrific atmosphere in the dressing room and it's not just one-way traffic," he said. "We learn from each other and if someone has some issues, there is the coach. Generally it's a great atmosphere and I enjoy being part of this side."

When asked about his decision to not be part of the national Twenty20 side, Tendulkar said he did not want to upset a winning combination. India had won the inaugural World Twenty in South Africa two years ago, but Tendulkar had not been part of that team because of fitness problems. "It's a team sport so, even if there is one weak link, it affects the whole team. I didn't want it to happen. The team went to South Africa and did well. They settled quite nicely. I don't want to disturb the combination now when they are going terrific."



Source: India news from Cricinfo

[ramshorns]

One thing Tendulkar really did good for Indian cricket is get Dhoni the captaincy.  That was a good read by him.  One needs to give credit where it is due.

[LosingNow]

Headline : Tendulkar says "He is the weak link"

[Cover Point]

hmmm .... is he saying Dhoni is a better leader than Ganguly?

[fineleg]

hmmm .... is he saying Dhoni is a better leader than Ganguly?

Second innings has started. Its still first session in the morning and the moisture in the pitch is still fresh. CP pitches the ball upto FL, a nice tempting half-volley just outside the offstump. FL thinks about a juicy coverdrive to send it rocking to the boundary Viru ishtyle, but decides to lift the bat and watches it safely to the keeper dex's hands.

FL takes a small walk towards the square leg umpire, squints the eyes SG fashion, clears the mind, and gets ready for the next ball.

[Cover Point]

hmmm .... is he saying Dhoni is a better leader than Ganguly?

Second innings has started. Its still first session in the morning and the moisture in the pitch is still fresh. CP pitches the ball upto FL, a nice tempting half-volley just outside the offstump. FL thinks about a juicy coverdrive to send it rocking to the boundary Viru ishtyle, but decides to lift the bat and watches it safely to the keeper dex's hands.

FL takes a small walk towards the square leg umpire, squints the eyes SG fashion, clears the mind, and gets ready for the next ball.

except , supposedly we are on the same team

[12th_Man]

Confident Dhoni the best skipper: Laxman

Press Trust of India18:13 IST, Tuesday, April 14, 2009 (Hyderabad)
He has played under Sourav Ganguly and four other captains but stylish batsman VVS Laxman rates current Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the best, saying he is calm and exudes a lot of confidence.

"Dhoni is one of the best captains I played under," said Laxman, who debuted under Sachin Tendulkar and then played under Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble.

"He is so calm and composed. He exudes a lot of confidence. It's a great feeling to play under him," he said in an interview on Tuesday.

The 34-year-old right-hander also lauded opener Gautam Gambhir, who was adjudged man-of-the-series in India's Test series win over New Zealand.

"Gautam really played well. Especially, in the second innings of Napier Test. Batting for more than 10 hours requires a tremendous effort. It was great. He carved and then paced his innings well and played his natural game. It was a very important knock during that match.

"I always call him 'run machine'. He has the appetite for runs. He was consistently doing well in domestic circuit and it was really pleasing to see him start performing at international level."

Laxman felt in the Delhi duo of Virender Sehwag and Gambhir, India were "lucky to have a great openers who demoralise the opposition bowlers."

The elegant Hyderabadi batsman also gave credit to coach Gary Kirsten and his support staff for creating a good atmosphere in the Team India dressing room.

"Also the way Gary (Kirsten) is coaching, credit should be given to him and the support staff (Paddy) Upton, (Venkatesh) Prasad, Robin (Singh), all of them have been a great help to all the players," he said.

Laxman, one of the architects of India's historic win in New Zealand, said the epic Kolkata Test of 2001 was the inspiration for the side when it was forced to follow on in the second Test against the Kiwis in Napier.

Laxman said when India was following on after being bowled out for 305 in reply to the Kiwi's 619 in Napier, they recalled the Kolkata Test against Australia and Gambhir went on to score 137 in a marathon 10-hours 43-minute innings.

Laxman himself remained unbeaten on 124 to help India salvage a draw in the match. India's series triumph in New Zealand was the team's first in 41 years.

"There's obviously a lot of similarities. We always remember the Kolkata Test in such circumstances. It (Eden Test) was a historic one that continues to inspire and give confidence whenever you're in trouble," Laxman, who had scored a career best 281 to turn the table on Australia in the Eden Test, said.

The wristy batsman said India -- now on the third spot with 118 rating points in the ICC rankings -- were close to becoming the number one side in the world.

"It was very satisfying for all of us to be a part of history. More importantly, the win gives more confidence now. We are very close to becoming number one in Tests which is our main aim. We are consistently winning Tests abroad," Laxman said.

Laxman said India actually picked up confidence to defeat big teams after their epic 2-1 Test series triumph over Australia, who had won a record 16 Tests on the trot.

"It started changing in (March) 2001 after our historic win in the Eden Test. In fact, that series in totality was a turning point for the Indian cricket. Since then whenever we travel abroad, we have been doing very well.

"After that my first overseas tour was Zimbabwe and we won there. We won another Test in the West Indies... then in England in 2002. Slowly we started winning abroad. Thereafter, we were all very keen do well abroad."

Laxman, who rose to 15th spot in the ICC Test rankings for batsmen, said: "I am very pleased to see my performance. I contributed especially in both the innings (in Napier). I relish performing under pressure. It was one more good knock. Really glad that I could able to contribute for the team's success it makes one happy."

Another reason for success in New Zealand, Laxman said, was the pre-conditioning camp ahead of the Test series.

"It was good that we landed there almost 15 days before the start (of Test series). It was a huge help for most of us. How much you practice in Indian conditions, it's difficult to adapt overseas. We got an opportunity to play first class matches there and it really helped us."

With India's next Test series -- against Sri Lanka --more than four months away, the Deccan Chargers batsman in the Indian Premier League said he was looking forward to the cash-rich Twenty20 tournament in South Africa.

After IPL II, Laxman will play for English county Lancashire.

"My county stint for the next four months will keep me actively involved playing cricket till our next series against Sri Lanka," he signed off.

http://cricket.ndtv.com/cricket/ndtvcricket/storypage/ndtv/id/inten20090090801/Confident_Dhoni_the_best_skipper_Laxman.html

[12th_Man]

http://cricket.ndtv.com/cricket/ndtvcricket/storypage/ndtv/id/spoen20090090812/story15042009_133000.html
Dhoni's success leaves Sachin vindicated
Press Trust of India13:30 IST, Wednesday, April 15, 2009 (Noida)

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/images/fullimage/ver1/s/sachin-dhoni.jpg

Instrumental in Mahendra Singh Dhoni's elevation to captaincy of the Indian cricket team, Sachin Tendulkar said India's rich success under the stewardship of the star stumper from Jharkhand vindicated his faith in him.

After Rahul Dravid decided to step down from the captain's job soon after India's England tour last year, Tendulkar suggested Dhoni's name to the then BCCI President Sharad Pawar.

Under Dhoni, India won, among others, Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa, tri-series in Australia, Test series against Australia at home before recording their first ODI series win in New Zealand and first Test series there in 41 years.

Refusing to disclose much about his suggestion to Pawar to appoint Dhoni the captain, Tendulkar said, "I spoke to the BCCI President but I would not want to discuss everything publicly. As I said earlier, it's my principle that whatever happens inside dressing room should stay there."

Tendulkar, however, did not hide his satisfaction after Dhoni lived upto his expectation.

"Talking about his captaincy, I'm extremely happy and delighted the way he has conducted himself," Tendulkar said.

"He is a balanced guy, is always on his toes all the time. Before he was made the captain, standing in the slips I interacted with him and picked lot of things which clearly indicated that he has a sharp brain, his approach was pretty clear and not complicated", Tendulkar said.

"I think he is doing a fantastic job," he said.

Incidentally, Tendulkar himself struggled whenever he was saddled with captaincy.

Asked if he would love to have another go at it, the Mumbai run-machine was almost indignant.

"Now what kind of question is it?" he asked.

"The team is doing so well (under Dhoni) and you should be proud of it," he admonished the person posing the query.

Tendulkar said he was rather happy playing mentor's role to younger players.

"To players like Harbhajan Singh or Yuvraj Singh, I'm like their elder brother. I share information not just with them but also with other members of the side. It's a terrific atmosphere in the dressing room and it's not just a one-way traffic," he said.

"We learn from each other and if someone has some issues, there is the coach. Generally it's a great atmosphere and I enjoy being part of this side," he added

[12th_Man]

Dhoni named Wisden's Dream Test XI skipper





Press Trust of India13:37 IST, Wednesday, April 15, 2009 (London)

Wisden, the highly respected cricket publication, on Wednesday named Virender Sehwag as the Leading Cricketer in the World for 2008 and Mahendra Singh Dhoni captain of its first ever Dream Test XI which has five Indians in the ranks.

India's rich vein of form found ample reflection in Wisden's first ever Dream XI which include Sehwag, Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan.

India has the largest representation in the Test squad, followed by Australia (Ricky Ponting and Mitchell Johnson) and South Africa (Graeme Smith and Dale Steyn) who have two each.

Flamboyant batsman Kevin Pietersen is the lone English player in the XI, while the West Indies is represented by run-machine Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

Smith is Dhoni's deputy in the side.

The three selectors who picked the squad were former India captain Ravi Shastri, retired West Indian pacer Ian Bishop and former New Zealand stumper Ian Smith.

"The criteria for selection are simple: the best eleven to play a Test match, no matter the opposition, guided by performances in 2008, and taking into consideration the amount of Test cricket they played in the year, the quality of their opponents, and that indefinable blend of class and form," Wisden said.

It turned out to be a double delight for Sehwag who became the sixth player to be adjudged the Leading Cricketer in the World, an award instituted in 2004.

The five previous winners have been Ricky Ponting, Shane Warne, Andrew Flintoff, Muttiah Muralitharan and Jacques Kallis.

"Virender Sehwag had to beat off the strongest of challenges by Graeme Smith to become the Leading Cricketer in the World for 2008. Sehwag did so by taking the task of opening Test innings to a new level," Wisden observed.

"He sought, and often achieved, mental domination from the first ball by scoring faster than any other opening batsman has ever done on a regular basis in Test cricket," it said.

In the Test XI, Gautam Gambhir's name was also considered to be Sehwag's opening partner before the selectors opted for Smith.

Australian captain Ricky Ponting got the votes of both Shastri and Smith for the number three slot even though Bishop preferred South African Hashim Amla.

Besides batting at number three, Ponting would field at second slip, beside Smith at first, it said.

Tendulkar got the backing of Shastri and Smith to be the number four batsman even though Bishop rooted for South African A B de Villiers.

Pietersen was an unanimous choice at number five even though Sri Lankan Mahela Jayawardene was also a strong contender for the slot.

There was no difference in opinion about Chanderpaul at number six and Dhoni as the stumper-cum-number seven bat.

Bishop and Shastri's votes made Dhoni captain of the side even though Smith preferred Graeme Smith.

Originally Smith's choice, Harbhajan needed the convenor's casting vote to win a three-way tie which also included Bishop's pick Ajantha Mendis and Shastri's support for another Sri Lankan, Muttiah Muralitharan.

Mitchell Johnson made the cut despite Shastri rooting for another Australian Brett Lee but there was no such dilemma with Steyn's selection.

Like Harbhajan, Zaheer too emerged winner after a three-way tie as Smith wanted Englishman Ryan Sidebottom while Bishop preferred Ishant Sharma.

The Wisden Test XI of 2008: Virender Sehwag (India), Graeme Smith (South Africa), Ricky Ponting (Australia), Sachin Tendulkar (India), Kevin Pietersen (England), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies), Mahendra Sing Dhoni (India), Harbhajan Singh (India), Mitchell Johnson (Australia), Dale Steyn (South Africa) and Zaheer Khan (India).

[ramshorns]

Confident Dhoni the best skipper: Laxman

Press Trust of India18:13 IST, Tuesday, April 14, 2009 (Hyderabad)
He has played under Sourav Ganguly and four other captains but stylish batsman VVS Laxman rates current Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the best, saying he is calm and exudes a lot of confidence.

"Dhoni is one of the best captains I played under," said Laxman, who debuted under Sachin Tendulkar and then played under Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble.

"He is so calm and composed. He exudes a lot of confidence. It's a great feeling to play under him," he said in an interview on Tuesday.

The 34-year-old right-hander also lauded opener Gautam Gambhir, who was adjudged man-of-the-series in India's Test series win over New Zealand.

"Gautam really played well. Especially, in the second innings of Napier Test. Batting for more than 10 hours requires a tremendous effort. It was great. He carved and then paced his innings well and played his natural game. It was a very important knock during that match.

"I always call him 'run machine'. He has the appetite for runs. He was consistently doing well in domestic circuit and it was really pleasing to see him start performing at international level."

Laxman felt in the Delhi duo of Virender Sehwag and Gambhir, India were "lucky to have a great openers who demoralise the opposition bowlers."

The elegant Hyderabadi batsman also gave credit to coach Gary Kirsten and his support staff for creating a good atmosphere in the Team India dressing room.

"Also the way Gary (Kirsten) is coaching, credit should be given to him and the support staff (Paddy) Upton, (Venkatesh) Prasad, Robin (Singh), all of them have been a great help to all the players," he said.

Laxman, one of the architects of India's historic win in New Zealand, said the epic Kolkata Test of 2001 was the inspiration for the side when it was forced to follow on in the second Test against the Kiwis in Napier.

Laxman said when India was following on after being bowled out for 305 in reply to the Kiwi's 619 in Napier, they recalled the Kolkata Test against Australia and Gambhir went on to score 137 in a marathon 10-hours 43-minute innings.

Laxman himself remained unbeaten on 124 to help India salvage a draw in the match. India's series triumph in New Zealand was the team's first in 41 years.

"There's obviously a lot of similarities. We always remember the Kolkata Test in such circumstances. It (Eden Test) was a historic one that continues to inspire and give confidence whenever you're in trouble," Laxman, who had scored a career best 281 to turn the table on Australia in the Eden Test, said.

The wristy batsman said India -- now on the third spot with 118 rating points in the ICC rankings -- were close to becoming the number one side in the world.

"It was very satisfying for all of us to be a part of history. More importantly, the win gives more confidence now. We are very close to becoming number one in Tests which is our main aim. We are consistently winning Tests abroad," Laxman said.

Laxman said India actually picked up confidence to defeat big teams after their epic 2-1 Test series triumph over Australia, who had won a record 16 Tests on the trot.

"It started changing in (March) 2001 after our historic win in the Eden Test. In fact, that series in totality was a turning point for the Indian cricket. Since then whenever we travel abroad, we have been doing very well.

"After that my first overseas tour was Zimbabwe and we won there. We won another Test in the West Indies... then in England in 2002. Slowly we started winning abroad. Thereafter, we were all very keen do well abroad."

Laxman, who rose to 15th spot in the ICC Test rankings for batsmen, said: "I am very pleased to see my performance. I contributed especially in both the innings (in Napier). I relish performing under pressure. It was one more good knock. Really glad that I could able to contribute for the team's success it makes one happy."

Another reason for success in New Zealand, Laxman said, was the pre-conditioning camp ahead of the Test series.

"It was good that we landed there almost 15 days before the start (of Test series). It was a huge help for most of us. How much you practice in Indian conditions, it's difficult to adapt overseas. We got an opportunity to play first class matches there and it really helped us."

With India's next Test series -- against Sri Lanka --more than four months away, the Deccan Chargers batsman in the Indian Premier League said he was looking forward to the cash-rich Twenty20 tournament in South Africa.

After IPL II, Laxman will play for English county Lancashire.

"My county stint for the next four months will keep me actively involved playing cricket till our next series against Sri Lanka," he signed off.

http://cricket.ndtv.com/cricket/ndtvcricket/storypage/ndtv/id/inten20090090801/Confident_Dhoni_the_best_skipper_Laxman.html

VVS's interviews always makes for a great read.  Measured and intelligent answers with a lot of detail.  Another good one.

[RicePlateReddy]

hmmm .... is he saying Dhoni is a better leader than Ganguly?

Second innings has started. Its still first session in the morning and the moisture in the pitch is still fresh. CP pitches the ball upto FL, a nice tempting half-volley just outside the offstump. FL thinks about a juicy coverdrive to send it rocking to the boundary Viru ishtyle, but decides to lift the bat and watches it safely to the keeper dex's hands.

FL takes a small walk towards the square leg umpire, squints the eyes SG fashion, clears the mind, and gets ready for the next ball.

Did you adjust the 'box', Tendulkar ishtyle? The fundamentals don't change. You will get whacked on the n*ts when you least expect 

[12th_Man]

hmmm .... is he saying Dhoni is a better leader than Ganguly?

Second innings has started. Its still first session in the morning and the moisture in the pitch is still fresh. CP pitches the ball upto FL, a nice tempting half-volley just outside the offstump. FL thinks about a juicy coverdrive to send it rocking to the boundary Viru ishtyle, but decides to lift the bat and watches it safely to the keeper dex's hands.

FL takes a small walk towards the square leg umpire, squints the eyes SG fashion, clears the mind, and gets ready for the next ball.

Did you adjust the 'box', Tendulkar ishtyle? The fundamentals don't change. You will get whacked on the n*ts when you least expect 

In second inngs he was better equipped to deal with the bouncers  .