Hit us if you can: Dhoni challenges Akhtar!!!

[honestbharani]

only tendulkar can play short balls on middle stump. Sehwag can hit uppercuts if the ball is on outside off but i hardly see him play a decent hook shot, ganguly is rubbish against short pitched stuff period, dravid and laxman are average at best, gambhir and dhoni i havent seen. Ive heard dhoni is similar to sehwag is this true

While I agree with you about the others vis-a-vis short pitch bowling, I think you are mightily under rating Dravid and Laxman there.

 

[masterblaster]

I think this little comment will come back to haunt Dhoni. I really hate it when our players start talking too much. After all matches are won with performances, not with words.

 

[Jono]

I think this little comment will come back to haunt Dhoni. I really hate it when our players start talking too much. After all matches are won with performances, not with words.

Nah I like it, although I'd prefer it coming from someone other than Dhoni. I'd eat egg shells with my chicken curry if Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman or Kumble came out and had a go at one of the Pakistani players, but there is one man to spice up the series even more with a bit of banter. Bhajji

Diplomacy gets tiresome after a while.

 

[Arjun]

Nah I like it, although I'd prefer it coming from someone other than Dhoni. I'd eat egg shells with my chicken curry if Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman or Kumble came out and had a go at one of the Pakistani players, but there is one man to spice up the series even more with a bit of banter. Bhajji

Diplomacy gets tiresome after a while.

This may just be a mind game and nothing more. Who knows who may get after the Pakistanis. They've often had a go at Sachin or Sehwag, but this may just be a diversion. Watch that space.

 

[no1_gangsta_786]

Pakistan should not be worried about Dhoni's comments, after all it dont matter about the comments its but how people play on the pitch. After Paul Collingwood said England will beat Pakistan 3-0 in the test series and we won...so who knows..maybe the short pitch bowling will work.

 

[vandemataram]

Dhoni indeed lived upto his words, the first time he ever come accross Pakistan in test match and he made a big ton and thrashed all the bowlers to all parts of the ground .

Hope to see another ton in Karachi, this time a match winning won.

 

[Smudge]

Dhoni indeed lived upto his words, the first time he ever come accross Pakistan in test match and he made a big ton and thrashed all the bowlers to all parts of the ground .

Hope to see another ton in Karachi, this time a match winning won.

With more than a little help from the pitches...

 

[cricketboy29]

but you cant deny Dhoni's knock, Voltman, pitch and all, but shoaib was roaring in. And people that saw the match said the dhoni's hook of Shoaib was out of this world.

 

[Smudge]

but you cant deny Dhoni's knock, Voltman, pitch and all, but shoaib was roaring in. And people that saw the match said the dhoni's hook of Shoaib was out of this world.

All I'm saying is that it needs to be kept in perspective...

 

[adharcric]

sheer pace doesn't require a great pitch to make an impact really. shoaib akhtar fired in his bouncers in lethal fashion, and that hook by dhoni has got to be one of the most innovative and bold shots i've ever seen played. also, the cheap paddlesweep off kaneria was vintage, treating that stray delivery like a piece of trash with kaneria looking on like a donkey in awe, beautiful

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

sheer pace doesn't require a great pitch to make an impact really

That said, sheer pace is a lot less sheer when the pitch is a featherbed. Simple physics.

 

[Smudge]

sheer pace doesn't require a great pitch to make an impact really. shoaib akhtar fired in his bouncers in lethal fashion, and that hook by dhoni has got to be one of the most innovative and bold shots i've ever seen played. also, the cheap paddlesweep off kaneria was vintage, treating that stray delivery like a piece of trash with kaneria looking on like a donkey in awe, beautiful

I see my call for perspective is an exercise in futility here...

 

[What-A-Player]

Damn the perspective and Pitch

He scored at a time when Indians were in pressure with 200 odd for 5, its a great reply even if it was a Club Game.

 

[SJS]

With more than a little help from the pitches...

Yes the wicket was dead as a dod. But come on mate, Shoaib had a new ball, India had just lost Tendulkar and Yuvraj, were in serious trouble about 170 to go to avoid a follow on and Kumble the next man in.

Not just that. Shoaib was really fired up. He did make Dhoni wince in those first couple of overs. Life wasnt easy for Dhoni till he connected that hook which went al the way. It all fell apart for Shoaib thereafter.

While its true that the pitch was one any batsman would like to carry in his kit bag, by refering to it, when we are discussing Dhoni's showing he CAN play short pitched stuff, it smells a bit of denying him a damn good innings.

Lets put it another way, Shoaib made all other Indian batsmen look lesser than they were or at least had them playing him with a degree of respect. The only exception was Dhoni.

Even on a dead track, the way he tackled Shoaib was heartening to put it mildly.

 

[Tim]

At the end of the day, the batsmen still has to score the runs..so its a great achievement by Dhoni. But when I see so many centuries being racked up in this series and the bowlers being carted all over the place..it does take a bit of gloss off.

 

[Smudge]

Yes the wicket was dead as a dod. But come on mate, Shoaib had a new ball, India had just lost Tendulkar and Yuvraj, were in serious trouble about 170 to go to avoid a follow on and Kumble the next man in.

Not just that. Shoaib was really fired up. He did make Dhoni wince in those first couple of overs. Life wasnt easy for Dhoni till he connected that hook which went al the way. It all fell apart for Shoaib thereafter.

While its true that the pitch was one any batsman would like to carry in his kit bag, by refering to it, when we are discussing Dhoni's showing he CAN play short pitched stuff, it smells a bit of denying him a damn good innings.

Lets put it another way, Shoaib made all other Indian batsmen look lesser than they were or at least had them playing him with a degree of respect. The only exception was Dhoni.

Even on a dead track, the way he tackled Shoaib was heartening to put it mildly.

What I've seen of it suggests that it was a good innings. But, as I say, I'm certainly tempering my comments compared to others on this thread.

 

[SJS]

Lets put it another way, Shoaib made all other Indian batsmen look lesser than they were or at least had them playing him with a degree of respect. The only exception was Dhoni.
.

A slight correction to that. Add Sehwag in Lahore to that list. Though Dhoni did something special.

Here is how Akhtar has fared against Indian batsmen so far.

Dhoni has faced him for 28 out of total 154 deliveries but hit 5 of the 12 boundaries PLUS the only six of him AND has a strike rate above 150 against Shoaib. Even on a dead track, thats something even for the most grudging !

 

[SJS]

What I've seen of it suggests that it was a good innings. But, as I say, I'm certainly tempering my comments compared to others on this thread.

I think your response is more out of irritation with the massive exaggerations that we often see here rather than as a denial of Dhoni's innings.

 

[SJS]

At the end of the day, the batsmen still has to score the runs..so its a great achievement by Dhoni. But when I see so many centuries being racked up in this series and the bowlers being carted all over the place..it does take a bit of gloss off.

Oh absolutely. No denying that.

 

[SJS]

Another perspective to Dhoni's innings

Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Yuvraj Singh (the cream of the Indian batting) versus Dhoni

Player/s.......Runs......Balls.......Fours......Sixes......S. Rate

Dhoni............42..........28.............5............1............150

Fab four.........13..........74............2.............0.............18


To deny Dhoni is, in a way, to deny Akhtar what has been a brilliant series of short bursts of fast bowling against some of the best batting in the world on a dead track.

Dhoni's batting AGAINST SHOAIB (not the rest of it mind you) has to be seen in this light.