[NPV]

I don't think all is well with Dhoni. He was really struggling to make runs, especially the big shots. He tried to adjust by converting the singles into twos and also showed signs of an injury, not sure if he was feigning that part as he'd given up the chase ?
May be it's time to drop him and move on, no use prolonging his career any more.

[amit_snk]

Originally Posted by amit_snk

Time is a great leveller, 4 years back, dhoni could have finished today's match even with a stick in his hand. Such was the aura of this great man, seeing him coming onto bat, half the match would have been lost by the bower in his head.

But at the fag end of his career with young players gunning for every spot, change of captaincy debates going on, to deal with faltering form and at 34 he is not going to get any younger. Dhoni seems like a pale shadow of his great days.

He may be able to get his form back and rejuvenate his career but the job needs double the effort now compared to his younger days.

Wow, I was expecting Dhoni to bounce back, but not this soon. Goes to show what mettle he's made of. Hats off to you my hero, I take a bow and sorry for underestimating you.

[NPV]

These guys are awesome. Patriotism for the country they represent, Big hearts and what a way to encourage a budding youngster and spend time with the community - take a bow Amla, Vernon, ABD, Dale Steyn, Faf Du Plessis, Blown away by your act
Watch it if you haven't already

https://youtu.be/Cmy-s5Klvoo

[Eddy]

3rd ODI is "going down to the wire" and "all three results possible. "Just what the doctor ordered" for the series.

[vibbs]

All has been squandered in the end.. We used to be good chasers, but much of that was because of the brilliant finisher that Dhoni was. Which is now missing I believe. It has been some time since Dhoni ahs been instrumental in finishing off a good chase.

[carwatcher]

Are we back to square one, I believe we are.
Hope to go forward to square two again in the next match.

Originally Posted by amit_snk

Wow, I was expecting Dhoni to bounce back, but not this soon. Goes to show what mettle he's made of. Hats off to you my hero, I take a bow and sorry for underestimating you.

In the automobile parlance, we can say that MSD suffers from a Turbo Lag.

[PPS]

Originally Posted by Eddy

"Just what the doctor ordered" for the series.

We really are 'choking' in the series!
When set batsman struggle to find the boundaries you can't expect a fresh batsman to do the same. The top 4 are batting knowing very well that no. 7 can't bat & they have a long tail.
Time has come to give Dhawan some rest & let Rahane open the batting with Raina batting at no.4 . Raina played a very irresponsible shot again today!

I don't believe i'm saying this but i think India is missing Jadeja very badly!Axar & Binny both are useless at no.7! I have a feeling either Jadeja or Yuvraj are going to make a comeback in the next 2 games.
SA are 2-1 up in the series all thanks to their superior bowling, their fielding has been below par this whole series though.

[Eddy]

^ Yuvraj scored a 175 today in the Ranji trophy. Sir Jadeja is also in red hot all round form.

[carwatcher]

Beg to differ on this.
IMO Raina didn't play irresponsible shot because he hit exactly straight in front of the sight screen which 9 out of 10 times would get him a boundary or a six, today the ball stayed slightly longer in the air and the fielder was quicker too. Poor chap couldn't have done much in the situation when he arrived. As mentioned few posts above by someone only he is there in the team who can play big shots right from the first ball he faces.
But yes, as you have mentioned our whole batting line up needs a serious overhaul. Shikhar Dhawan should be doing what Raina is expected to do at No.6 while Rahane should be opening for sometime. That would give enough flexibility. IIRC wasn't Sehwag also demanding the same (No.6 spot) while being tagged as a failure to prove his point.

Originally Posted by PPS

Raina played a very irresponsible shot again today.

[amit_snk]

Originally Posted by carwatcher

Beg to differ on this.
IMO Raina didn't play irresponsible shot because he hit exactly straight in front of the sight screen which 9 out of 10 times would get him a boundary or a six, today the ball stayed slightly longer in the air and the fielder was quicker too. Poor chap couldn't have done much in the situation when he arrived.

It was not irresponsible shot but poor shot selection. It was a googly, raina misjudged it for legspinner, that's why he played that shot. That shot on a googly would, 9 out of 10 times, get him out.

Imran tahir is a wrist spinner, it is easier to judge a googly from a wrist spinner then from a finger spinner like Ashwin. At international level, you are not expected to make that mistake. That's why it was a poor shot.

Dhoni experiencing turbo lag, nice one

[vibbs]

Originally Posted by amit_snk

It was a googly, raina misjudged it for legspinner, that's why he played that shot. That shot on a googly would, 9 out of 10 times, get him out.

And he did the same mistake in the first match too. Could not read Imran Tahir's Googly.

But I believe the period between overs 30-40 while India chased, pulled us down. Kohli and Dhoni could not find boundary for almost 50 odd balls and the required rate kept piling up. Once Dhoni was out, it was evident the other batsmen would not be able to cope up with the high asking rate.

[Marauder]

Virender Sehwag, the most entertaining cricketer ever, retires.
He is so entertaining that reading people's opinions and articles about him are also equally interesting.

Here's a gem from Jarrod Kimber
http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine...ry/930743.html

[carwatcher]

http://www.espncricinfo.com/india/co...ry/592425.html

This is equally hilarious.
Posted on Jokes thread too.

Gives an idea how he thinks.

Thanks Viru.

[mukul32]

The most schocking part of Sehwag's retirement is that he retired from the IPL as well. I mean, he is just 37! He could have easily played another 1-2 IPL seasons. There are players who made their IPL debuts after 37!
Either way, I simply couldn't understand the logic behind this move. Maybe it was his poor form last season and the fact that he couldn't attract much interest at the IPL 7 auctions and was benched for a lot of IPL 8. But he has an incredible fan following all over the country, especially up North, where most of the matches are held. And he is in pretty good form this domestic season. Almost got the first hundred of the season too. He is also a very strong captaincy candidate, having led an incredibly strong DD side rather successfully in 2008 and 2012. Overall makes for a tremendous package for any IPL side. Actually, just his presence on the field inspires all youngsters playing alongside him. There have been a lot of times when a great IPL innings from a young talent was credited to inspiration or guidance from 'Viru Paa'. And now that two new franchises are confirmed to be coming in, they would need the star value of players like Sehwag, Yuvraj and Dhoni to attract fans.
I only wish he went back to the IPL, scored big runs in his trademark way, and made the fans nostalgic, and the selectors repent not to have chosen him for one last time.
And another interesting fact is that he retired to debut at the Masters' Champions League (MCL), a new small-time league for big-time superstars of yesteryears taking place in the UAE this summer. It does include some very big names otherwise, like Lara, Akram, Kallis, Vettori, Gilchrist, Sangakkara, Jayawardena, etc. But that tournament is a small six-team affair lasting just over two weeks. It is not very likely that he retired from IPL to commit to this tournament. He does say however, that he would continue to play in the MCL for a significant amount of time.
It seems difficult to believe, but Sehwag was always difficult to decode. Maybe, just as he said in his retirement statement, it's just his way of doing it.

[PPS]

Win the toss, win the game! That seems to be the mantra this entire series. The toss really is so crucial at Wankhede.
Some superlative batting today from both Virat & AB !