best captain of the final match

[bond21]

I wouldve said Dhoni but bringing on Sharma on the last over was a pumpkin head move.

That one decision almost cost them the game, lucky Musbah also put a pumpkin on his head and played a stupid shot.

All he needed to do was pick the ball he wanted to hit, he had 4 balls remaining, 6 runs. He couldve hit a boundary off a bad ball and hit one into the gap for 2, pakistan win.

That shot he played wouldve worked if he connected against someone like brett lee who has got pace, but sharman is slow and he just lobbed it up to give sreesanth catching practice.

Malik was the better captain, he restricted india to a low score and it wouldve payed off if he and the other batsman played sensibly

[honestbharani]

Dhoni

[R_D]

Originally Posted by Perm

I didn't think either captain was particularly impressive TBH. Dhoni brought on Joginder Sharma for that last over and very nearly lost the game, while Malik was just solid throughout the game. One feels that some of Pakistan's more genius moves came from Geoff Lawson, which is understandable. However, I'll vote for Dhoni on the basis of the beleif that he inspired amongst his players.

EDIT: Actually, Dhoni was pretty good. Was very aggressive with his field placings, had slips in play at times when India needed to attack and brought 5 men into the inner ring when they needed to build pressure.

Bowling Joginder was bit of a gamble but really not that bad of a move, all my friends were saying Joginder but i was like Harbhjan.
Bhajji was bowling pretty **** yesterday and he got smacked for 3 sixes the previous over and Dhoni had confidence in Joginder from the match against Aus. SOmetimes you get lucky i guess, this was one of those days for Dhoni and Jogi.

[Perm]

Originally Posted by R_D

Bowling Joginder was bit of a gamble but really not that bad of a move, all my friends were saying Joginder but i was like Harbhjan.
Bhajji was bowling pretty **** yesterday and he got smacked for 3 sixes the previous over and Dhoni had confidence in Joginder from the match against Aus. SOmetimes you get lucky i guess, this was one of those days for Dhoni and Jogi.

Exactly, Dhoni got lucky with his decision. Not trying to detract from India's win at all, but they were very fortunate to get the result in their favour when it came down to the last over. Harbhajan had confidence in himself and usually bowls pretty well in that kind of situation, but his captain didn't have any faith in him, which was unusual for somebody who appears to be very trusting leader, like Dhoni. Certainly I would've asked Harbhajan to bowl the last over, but Dhoni didn't, and it proved lucky for him

[SJS]

Originally Posted by Perm

. Harbhajan had confidence in himself and usually bowls pretty well in that kind of situation, but his captain didn't have any faith in him, which was unusual for somebody who appears to be very trusting leader, like Dhoni. Certainly I would've asked Harbhajan to bowl the last over, but Dhoni didn't, and it proved lucky for him

Thats absolutely incorrect.

Harbhajan refused to bowl and told Dhoni he wasn't feeling confident and not getting his yorker length right and asked him to let someone else bowl. Dhoni said it live for millions to hearafter the match when asked why he chose Joginder over Harbhajan.

[SJS]

Shoaib was also pretty good but I think Dhoni made some brilliant, on the spot tactical moves while Shoaibs good moves were in the overall strategy which would surely have the coach's inputs from pre-match briefings.

On the field for example, Shoaib kept his fielders spread far and wide, very content to allow singles to the Indians. For once the poor-runners-between-wickets that the Indians are were strolling through and once even got two where the first was just about it.

He was the more defensive of the two by far. Whish wasstrange because whatever ny Indian countrymen may claim, Shoaib was commanding the better attack. Dhoni's employing two slips in the second half of Pakistan innings was stunning. Its okay for Gavaskar to praise it as the 'right' move but he himself wouldnt have had even one. Nor Dravid or Ganguly.

Then the batting order of Pakistan was not always ideal. India were better in this too. I think by not allowing Afridi to come earlier in the initial games itself, Pakistan did not let him get a momentum. I thin Pakistan sorely missed Afrid's contribution with the bat and its just possible that his batting order may have had something to do with it.

[Perm]

Originally Posted by SJS

Thats absolutely incorrect.

Harbhajan refused to bowl and told Dhoni he wasn't feeling confident and not getting his yorker length right and asked him to let someone else bowl. Dhoni said it live for millions to hearafter the match when asked why he chose Joginder over Harbhajan.

Can't say I watched the after-match, but at the time Harbhajan looked pretty confident, and he usually takes up the challenge. I suppose that Dhoni could be excused for asking Joginder Sharma to bowl the last over, he's just very fortunate that the result went India's way.

[SJS]

Originally Posted by Perm

Can't say I watched the after-match, but at the time Harbhajan looked pretty confident, and he usually takes up the challenge. I suppose that Dhoni could be excused for asking Joginder Sharma to bowl the last over, he's just very fortunate that the result went India's way.

You dont have to excuse him, he had no choice unless, pf course, he bowled the elder Pathan

[Perm]

Originally Posted by SJS

You dont have to excuse him, he had no choice unless, pf course, he bowled the elder Pathan

Harbhajan, Joginder or Yusuf. He had a choice of those three, really. Harbhajan refused to bowl, if what you are saying is correct (which I have no reason to beleive it's not) so really it was a toss-up between Joginer and Yusuf. I think he could've been better off by giving Yusuf Pathan another over or two during the middle period, because his first over was decent, and this way he might've had more options up his sleeve for the final over.

[SJS]

Originally Posted by Perm

Harbhajan, Joginder or Yusuf. He had a choice of those three, really. Harbhajan refused to bowl, if what you are saying is correct (which I have no reason to beleive it's not) so really it was a toss-up between Joginer and Yusuf. I think he could've been better off by giving Yusuf Pathan another over or two during the middle period, because his first over was decent, and this way he might've had more options up his sleeve for the final over.

I agree Yousuf was a choice.

I think because he had not bowled after that first over, the fact thatit was his debut match and all the pressure musthaveweighed heavily with Dhoni. Against that he had Joginder who had bowled in a similar situation againstAustralia and even if we dont think much of him (I dont) the factthat he had done it befgore and come through would have, presumably, put him is a stronger frame of mind than Yousuf.

Just imagine if Yousuf had been bowled and he had been hamered. We aould have found it the lousiest possible decision from Dh\ni for all possible reasons.

No. I think once Harbhajan refused he made the least risky choice which is the best one can hope to do. After that you have to hope it works.

[haroon510]

i voted for malik cuz dohni was lucky.... the fact that he chose jogindar for final over proves that... if misbah would have gotten that ball right... pakistan would have win the match....

[PakPowered]

Dhoni only and only coz India won the tournament.

Dhoni was better in field placement, however his bowling changes were very unimpressive.Though i think Dhoni showed better nerves than Malik, though both appears to be calm individuals.

[PakPowered]

Originally Posted by haroon510

i voted for malik cuz dohni was lucky.... the fact that he chose jogindar for final over proves that... if misbah would have gotten that ball right... pakistan would have win the match....

You make your own luck!! yeah it was completely wrong to have Joginder bowl the last over, just like it was wrong to send Akmal one down.I can say both captains made several mistakes, though both captains appears to be very good.

I rated Dhoni higer coz India won and the final over by Joginder didn't let India down, had Mishba pulled off a Pak win off that over, then it would have been another thing.

Also i think Pakistan were deserving losers, Indian batsmen were resticted to a total by a very very good bowling attack, however most of the Pakistani batsmen gifted the wickets by extremely poor shot selection.

[biased indian]

Originally Posted by haroon510

i voted for malik cuz dohni was lucky.... the fact that he chose jogindar for final over proves that... if misbah would have gotten that ball right... pakistan would have win the match....

this guy is sick !!!!!!!!!!

[PakPowered]

Originally Posted by biased indian

this guy is sick !!!!!!!!!!

Look, when one cannot give credit to other team, then you will always hear things like "lucky team...a fluke win..blah blah.. A lot of Indian and Pakistani supporters are a disgrace. If you go to rediff website and read some of the comments, then you will be embaressed.