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I will pay to watch Dhoni in action, says Gilchrist

Xuhaib

International Coach
http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/I_will_pay_to_watch_Dhoni_in_action_says_Gilchrist/articleshow/3491445.cms

MUMBAI: Perhaps MS Dhoni would cherish this even more than the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year award he won recently. Adam Gilchrist, arguably the greatest wicketkeeper-batsman ever and the idol of millions of cricketers including that of the Indian ODI captain, says he is willing to pay to watch Dhoni bat.

"One of the biggest compliments I ever received was when my fans told me they could pay to watch me bat. I am willing to do the same for Dhoni," Gilchrist said on Tuesday. He was in the city for a promotional function for Woolongong University, of which the Aussie is a brand ambassador.

On the evidence of what Gilly spoke, though, it seemed that he was a brand ambassador for Mahi. "The award is thoroughly well-deserved. I can't praise Dhoni enough. He has led India as a wicketkeeper-batsman. And he has done it successfully, which is so tough considering the expectations here."

Gilchrist also bracketed Dhoni in the 'Fab Four' league and said India now have a Fab Five. And it's not just the batting that has impressed Gilchrist. His keeping earned praise too. "By experience, I can say that it's not easy to keep wickets to the spinners in the sub-continent. But Dhoni has done it well."

Talking about the India-Australia Test series, Gilchrist admitted the visitors would find it tough to do what they achieved in 2004. "There are many challenges that face this team, no doubt. It's not as experienced as the Aussie teams that have come here for the last 10-12 years. However, the youngsters in this team do have an idea about the Indian conditions."
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Kinda over the top comment, I like Dhoni but pay to watch comments should be elusive to talents like Sachin, Lara, Akram, Warne, Ambrose, etc.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Dunno, each to their own. Dhoni in ODIs is unquestionably one of the best, purely as a batsman. If he can continue on the way he's started his career he'll be easily the best ODI batsman-wicketkeeper in history, taking the slot from Gilchrist.
 

Rickripper

School Boy/Girl Cricketer
What is it about Dhoni that makes him a much better ODI batsman than test batsman? He's not a slogger by any means.
 

2freddie

Cricket Spectator
What is it about Dhoni that makes him a much better ODI batsman than test batsman? He's not a slogger by any means.
i havent watched him as much in tests, but i hear hes a fraction of the player at times. i dont know why that is really, perhaps he feels more free to express himself knowing his team will need runs quicker then normal.
 

Rickripper

School Boy/Girl Cricketer
True, but none of them had a long spell in the test side, Hick played a lot of games, but he was always getting dropped and recalled. Dhoni has been India's first choice test WK for a number of years now, yet he's got a modest average and just the one century.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Hick and Knight both had a fair few runs in the side, Knight had one long enough to tell he obviously wasn't Test-class, and Hick had a run for 3 years where he averaged the best part of 50. For the rest of the time he mostly averaged about 14, and however much you protestate about continuity, if someone is doing nothing at all over 4 of 5 consecutive games you simply have to drop them.

Fairbrother, well no, he didn't ever get a particularly fair run, but nor did he do a thing in the games he played to suggest he deserved one.
 

Top_Cat

Request Your Custom Title Now!
Well, as indipper said, Gilly is playing the game a bit here I reckon but, that said, Dhoni's transformation has been amazing. From being a flashy, slap-happy slogger to a really thoughtful placer of the ball (and only bringing his scoring rate down a bit from stratospheric to sane) who can still hit the pill around when in the mood. Plus being the captain. Good on him, need more characters like him.
 

Polo23

International Debutant
Is it just me, or is Dhoni way less explosive than what he was made out to be early in his career? I thought he was a powerful bloke who cleared the ropes at will, but whenever I have seen him bat he has actually struggled to clear the ropes.
 

anoop4real

U19 12th Man
Dhoni is not a powerful batsmen as compared to Gilli.......but Dhoni has some improvised shots like rowing in a boat:laugh: ......which is fun to watch:)
 

SJS

Hall of Fame Member
Is it just me, or is Dhoni way less explosive than what he was made out to be early in his career? I thought he was a powerful bloke who cleared the ropes at will, but whenever I have seen him bat he has actually struggled to clear the ropes.
You are damn right he has. And this is just about a year old. The start of the England tour in July last year marked the change in Dhoni's batting. I had commented on it then.

One hears a lot about how this is because he has matured as a batsman and is playing more responsibly. Well it hasn't helped his stats and he isn't scoring more runs.

Here are his stats since then in Tests.


Code:
[B]Particulars	Pre-Jun '07        Post-Jun '07[/B]
Tests Played	         17             12
Runs Scored	         810           	608
4's & 6's %	        66.4          	[COLOR="DarkRed"]53.6[/COLOR]
Strike Rate 	        74.9          	[COLOR="DarkRed"]52.3[/COLOR]
[B]Batting Avg	        33.8          	33.8[/B]
50 + scores	        5               4
100 + scores	        1               0
 

honestbharani

Whatever it takes!!!
You are damn right he has. And this is just about a year old. The start of the England tour in July last year marked the change in Dhoni's batting. I had commented on it then.

One hears a lot about how this is because he has matured as a batsman and is playing more responsibly. Well it hasn't helped his stats and he isn't scoring more runs.

Here are his stats since then in Tests.


Code:
[B]Particulars	Pre-Jun '07        Post-Jun '07[/B]
Tests Played	         17             12
Runs Scored	         810           	608
4's & 6's %	        66.4          	[COLOR="DarkRed"]53.6[/COLOR]
Strike Rate 	        74.9          	[COLOR="DarkRed"]52.3[/COLOR]
[B]Batting Avg	        33.8          	33.8[/B]
50 + scores	        5               4
100 + scores	        1               0
I am not sure about his value as a batsman in tests but in ODIs, he is definitely amongst the top pile for me. Still to prove himself against a team like Australia, but my gut feeling is that it is more of a coincidence than any real inability. He does have problem handling real pace (like 150+) but he is hardly alone in that amongst these batsmen, right?
 

adharcric

International Coach
You are damn right he has. And this is just about a year old. The start of the England tour in July last year marked the change in Dhoni's batting. I had commented on it then.

One hears a lot about how this is because he has matured as a batsman and is playing more responsibly. Well it hasn't helped his stats and he isn't scoring more runs.

Here are his stats since then in Tests.


Code:
[B]Particulars	Pre-Jun '07        Post-Jun '07[/B]
Tests Played	         17             12
Runs Scored	         810           	608
4's & 6's %	        66.4          	[COLOR="DarkRed"]53.6[/COLOR]
Strike Rate 	        74.9          	[COLOR="DarkRed"]52.3[/COLOR]
[B]Batting Avg	        33.8          	33.8[/B]
50 + scores	        5               4
100 + scores	        1               0
Dhoni's changed approach at the crease has certainly made him a more effective one-day batsman. Nobody has talked about his maturity or brilliance in tests, although he has definitely evolved immensely from the days of stepping out to spinners when the match needs to be saved. Of course, the results may not be showing yet.
 

SJS

Hall of Fame Member
I am not sure about his value as a batsman in tests but in ODIs, he is definitely amongst the top pile for me. Still to prove himself against a team like Australia, but my gut feeling is that it is more of a coincidence than any real inability. He does have problem handling real pace (like 150+) but he is hardly alone in that amongst these batsmen, right?
Surprise ! Surprise !!

Inspite os slowing down, having much lower strike rate, much fewer boundaries and sixes, Dhoni's average in ODI's hasn't improved. It is as impressive (for impressive it sure is) as it was before that England trip which is again used here as the style-changing moment in MSD's career.

Have a look.

Code:
[B]Record   Pre-6/08	Post-6/08[/B]
ODI's        	67     	40
Runs         	2288 	1505
$'s/6's       	51.4  	[B][COLOR="DarkRed"]36.9[/COLOR][/B]
S. Rt.        	98.6  	[COLOR="DarkRed"][B]82.1[/B][/COLOR]
[B][SIZE="3"]Avg.          	48.7  	48.5[/SIZE][/B]
50+           	16     	12
100+         	2       	1
 

Burgey

Request Your Custom Title Now!
Doesn't it depend on what role he's had to play in recent times?

I recall some of the ODIs out here last summer, and there were times when he came in with India in trouble and steered them through in a slower manner than his "old" style.

Haven't seen too much of him since then, but I wonder whether he simply showed his versatility as an ODI batsman, and the old hard-hitting Dhoni is still there, just waiting for the right time of the game and the right form, to show itself again.
 

SJS

Hall of Fame Member
Doesn't it depend on what role he's had to play in recent times?

I recall some of the ODIs out here last summer, and there were times when he came in with India in trouble and steered them through in a slower manner than his "old" style.

Haven't seen too much of him since then, but I wonder whether he simply showed his versatility as an ODI batsman, and the old hard-hitting Dhoni is still there, just waiting for the right time of the game and the right form, to show itself again.
I agree he has changed his role and thats because the much hyped (and for long justifiably so) Indian middle order has failed of late.

There is a place - nay I dire need - in the limited overs game for both the Beven like 'beaver' who will keep digging away along with whatever remains of the batting side and dig the team out of a hole. AND for the Klusener and Gilchrist kind of swashbuckler who will both help to top up the good start with some lusty blows at the end or while chasing a large total - prop up a falling run rate with spectacular batting that brings the run-rate worm back on track.

Dhoni's game was ideally suited for the later role.

This is no more the case. While India is struggling with a failure at the top, Dhoni is able to come in and dig into the trenches, rally the lower order around him and make a push towards victory. This he has done wonderfully of late. But there is a catch to it. This is invariably with modest targets being chased.

India haven't been faced often with massive totals. When that happens, you need to shore up the second half, without allowing the run rate to drop. It is this area where Dhoni has lost his earlier prowess.

Indian bowlers need to get some credit in this. We have been doing a decent job in keeping opposition down to relatively moderate levels. Wickets may have had some role to play too. But when we are faced with 300 plus and even 350 plus scores, we wil need the Dhoni of old and I am afraid, that is an issue since Dhoni is not able to clear normal grounds without the shortened boundaries as for T20 matches.. He has understood that, bright thinking cricketer that he is, and is playing within the limitations to the best interest of the team but India do not have the explosive Razzaq type of batsman with Tendulkar type of average that he started off with.

Thats my point.

This is not a criticism of Dhoni (so Dhoni fans relax) but an analysis of what's happened to Dhoni's bating, how it has changed and how it affects India's performance.

In fact, this new avataar of Dhoni has a greater bearing on India's ODI performances than Tests. India will struggle against the best ODI sides from now on unless the bowlers do a great job. The days of India chasing 300 plus scores against good attacks are not many more to come. Mark my words.

Sachin will glow once in a while, as he did in the last three crucial games in Australia but otherwise . . .
 

pup11

International Coach
Doesn't it depend on what role he's had to play in recent times?

I recall some of the ODIs out here last summer, and there were times when he came in with India in trouble and steered them through in a slower manner than his "old" style.

Haven't seen too much of him since then, but I wonder whether he simply showed his versatility as an ODI batsman, and the old hard-hitting Dhoni is still there, just waiting for the right time of the game and the right form, to show itself again.
True, that his style of play has changed since he has taken up the captaincy and that has only made him a more responsible and better batsman, i don't think there is much of need for him to go back to his swashbuckling ways as there are many other stroke-makers in the Indian batting line-up.

Anyways Gilly made this statement to just woo the Indian media and fans more than anything else, he has always been pretty good with words and he definitely knows what to say and where to say it.
 

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