Is test cricket about to enter a golden phase of captaincy?

[honestbharani]

I honestly dont think he was a bad captain. It was just situation. When you are used to captaining McWarne as a bowling attack and then you get to play with Siddle (sorry, Nuffers ) and Cameron White, it can become pretty difficult. And it happened smack bang in the middle of his captaincy tenure too and he was not getting any younger. Also, most astute commentators dont always make great captains. Boycott for example.

 

[cnerd123]

I don't know what it is with Indians and Ricky Ponting. Indian fans always seem to have a massive chip on their shoulder about him, even the usually sensible ones. It's either something to do with culture clashes with his personality, or an unconscious reaction to him scoring so many runs against them I have no idea (just theories).

I've actually been noticing this for years but this thread really reminded me of it.

I defo held a grudge against him for ages thanks to the 2003 WC.

I think I once coined a metaphor where I compared Sachin to the genius kid in math class who makes silly mistakes, and Ponting as the kid who did all the problems flawlessly but could never solve the really complex ones

I was probably 16 and on PlanetCricket back then tho. He's grown on me more with age.

 

[honestbharani]

FTR, I have always like Ponting as a batsman, right from the time I first saw him play. Think it was the triseries down under in 1995 or 96, just before the WC 1996. He and Stuart Law used to look very similar with the goatees and stuff. And I have defended his record in India a few times here too. And I called Kohli to be the Indian Ponting. But apparently, saying he was an average captain means you hate him for some posters.

 

[OverratedSanity]

I don't know what it is with Indians and Ricky Ponting. Indian fans always seem to have a massive chip on their shoulder about him, even the usually sensible ones. It's either something to do with culture clashes with his personality, or an unconscious reaction to him scoring so many runs against them I have no idea (just theories).

I've actually been noticing this for years but this thread really reminded me of it.

He was an asshole so people didn't like him. Isn't too complicated.

 

[TheJediBrah]

I defo held a grudge against him for ages thanks to the 2003 WC.

I think I once coined a metaphor where I compared Sachin to the genius kid in math class who makes silly mistakes, and Ponting as the kid who did all the problems flawlessly but could never solve the really complex ones

I was probably 16 and on PlanetCricket back then tho. He's grown on me more with age.

I think it's more a culture/personality clash tbh. Indians and ricky ponting are like cats and dogs.

And then for some reason they love brett lee. Go figure.

 

[honestbharani]

I am sure the Indians at Mumbai hated him when he won them the IPL as player/coach. Go figure.

 

[cnerd123]

I think it's more a culture/personality clash tbh. Indians and ricky ponting are like cats and dogs.

And then for some reason they love brett lee. Go figure.

Nah defo nothing wrong with Ponting the man

He just beat India loads and (as OS pointed out) could be a dick on the field about it.

The same people who would hate him would then love Ganguly too.

Probably were a decent number of people who hated both Ponting and Dada tho.

Brett Lee is quite different to Ponting on the field so I can see why they don't hate him

 

[TheJediBrah]

He was an asshole so people didn't like him. Isn't too complicated.

He really wasn't. His onfield persona clashed with the classical indian psyche imo, which is why you think "he's an asshole". He's clearly not if you actually pay any attention to him as a person.

I mean you guys had ganguly as a captain and you complain about ponting being a dick and a "cheat" lol

 

[Adders]

I don't know what it is with Indians and Ricky Ponting. Indian fans always seem to have a massive chip on their shoulder about him, even the usually sensible ones. It's either something to do with culture clashes with his personality, or an unconscious reaction to him scoring so many runs against them I have no idea (just theories).

I've actually been noticing this for years but this thread really reminded me of it.

Yeah, it must be a cultural thing.........the man was just so idolised in England that that can be the only explanation.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Lol wtf Ganguly was an asshole too. Not even Indian fans would deny that?

I don't need to give a detailed character analysis on him. Guy behaved like a prick and was also extremely good and was on a virtually unbeatable team. Put those three together and you'd be hard pressed to find neutral fans who liked him.

He became a little less dickish during his decline and everyone felt sorry for him so people couldn't hate him as much.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Warne, Lee, Hayden, Gilchrist were on that same team and some of them were even more successful than Ponting. But they didn't come off as dickish on the field as Ponting and McGrath did.

Bit ironic that post retirement, it's totally flipped as Ponting is way more likeable, but it doesn't change that he was a douchebag in his playing days.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Nah defo nothing wrong with Ponting the man

He just beat India loads and (as OS pointed out) could be a dick on the field about it.

The same people who would hate him would then love Ganguly too.

Probably were a decent number of people who hated both Ponting and Dada tho.

Brett Lee is quite different to Ponting on the field so I can see why they don't hate him

True, true

It's a similar problem that a lot of people have with australian cricket in general Imo. Competitive on the field = asshole, and they can't seperate the 2. It's just a massive culture clash.

 

[vcs]

I defo held a grudge against him for ages thanks to the 2003 WC.

I think I once coined a metaphor where I compared Sachin to the genius kid in math class who makes silly mistakes, and Ponting as the kid who did all the problems flawlessly but could never solve the really complex ones

I was probably 16 and on PlanetCricket back then tho. He's grown on me more with age.

Isn't Lara the first kid and Sachin the 2nd one in your example?

 

[vcs]

Warne, Lee, Hayden, Gilchrist were on that same team and some of them were even more successful than Ponting. But they didn't come off as dickish on the field as Ponting and McGrath did.

Bit ironic that post retirement, it's totally flipped as Ponting is way more likeable, but it doesn't change that he was a douchebag in his playing days.

I bet more people dislike Hayden than Ponting. Guy was a complete **** and his bullying batting style was a reflection of his on-field personality.

 

[OverratedSanity]

I bet more people dislike Hayden than Ponting. Guy was a complete **** and his bullying batting style was a reflection of his on-field personality.

Doubt it. Never really came off as a prick at all when he was playing atleast relative to Ponting and co. Way less confrontational.

He's definitely a bigger **** in real life though.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Doubt it. Never really came off as a prick at all when he was playing atleast relative to Ponting and co. Way less confrontational.

He's definitely a bigger **** in real life though.

Definitely has a bigger **** too

 

[ImpatientLime]

Ponting if I am not wrong is the only captain to lose three Ashes series. That should disqualify him from serious consideration, no?

this is a meaningless soundbyte without context.

he had the misfortune of running into the two best england sides of the past 50/60 odd years in the 2005 and 2010/11 xis. something border, taylor and waugh never had to contend with. they for decades were putting absolutely hopeless england sides to the sword.

he also from 2007 onwards had to captain a side in almost terminal decline.

 

[cnerd123]

this is a meaningless soundbyte without context.

he had the misfortune of running into the two best england sides of the past 50/60 odd years in the 2005 and 2010/11 xis. something border, taylor and waugh never had to contend with. they for decades were putting absolutely hopeless england sides to the sword.

he also from 2007 onwards had to captain a side in almost terminal decline.

Yea see what you say is fair, but if anyone wants to insist that Ponting is a good captain then it is fair to hold the 3 ashes losses against him. If he can be credited with the success of the ATG side around him he can be blamed for the failures of the weaker side around him too.

 

[vcs]

Doubt it. Never really came off as a prick at all when he was playing atleast relative to Ponting and co. Way less confrontational.

He's definitely a bigger **** in real life though.

I always thought he was one of their chief sledgers on the field.

 

[ImpatientLime]

its odd isn't it. ponting seems like such a sound guy off the pitch.

then you have vaughan who seemed fairly mild mannered and a real thinker on the pitch, but it turns out off it he is a weapons grade dickhead.