Face it Karthik there’s not much to remember about you. You are not up against your keeping or your batting, you are up against MS Dhoni’s aura. If it was just his keeping or his batting that you had to beat, you stood a chance – but now, it’s goddamn tough. Not impossible, but like scaling a cricketing Everest.
It’s not as if you’ve got nothing going your way. You had a cracking IPL, scored runs in T20 primetime – limited over cricket is the key here. Even though you were a low profile player in a low profile team, you scored – playing some incredible pulls and cuts too. And yeah, you can use your feet and your mind too. Nobody can take that away from you. If I recall, your keeping wasn’t any worse than MSD’s. You were ok. More a team player with the Delhi Daredevils than you ever looked with the Indian Angels.
Don’t know if it’s a curse or what, that Chappell placed his hand on your head, but you gotta live in the today. You’ve just landed two breaks out of nowhere. Sure the T20 World Cup didn’t land you a game, but this one-day series did. You are opening in a one-day game. You may never do so again. Ask Saurav and Sachin what it is to open in an ODI – it can make your career, it comes with half a dozen licenses – watchful, streaky, bullish, easy does it, let loose, go bonkers, chill, tank up on the runs. With each ODI innings comes one helluva chance to score a hundred – nowhere bowlers, everywhere runs, lick the gaps, kid.
And then you got that incredible thing going your way – form. Why is it so hard to fathom – are you in the form of somebody else’s life? Take a deep breath, do some yoga kid. Don’t do a Dilshan. Even Dilshan looks like a dodo when he tries the Dilscoop one too many times. Good for you, it came off once, went for six. It didn’t second time, you look like an adolescent. You should know how matured MSD is, he would never play a shot like that. Maturity is the new mantra in Indian cricket. Who do you want to be Karthik?
The kid who scored a 60 odd when he could get even with a 100? Nobody forgets 100s, ask your Dilli skipper, he told that to Akash Chopra once. Chopra hasn’t forgotten, don’t think he ever will. Ok, so a failure in between, and then you’re back in biz 3rd ODI. Be wary of Gambhir, he still thinks he’s running with Sehwag. That’s how it works for him.
Figure what works for you – it’s incredible you scored 47(43) with some of the hara-kiri between the wickets. Again, nobody will remember this 47, because Boss scored 46(35) and won the game.
Worse for you, Boss gotta face-saving 95 when you made only 4. Looks like he got the man-of-the-series award too. What you got, kid?
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25 comments:
i think one gotta give credit to dhoni the batsman...for he is the last of youngster lot which uses head...(tho sometimes too much)...but you can see his focus...at ease with his game...and completely aware of how to optimize the limited skills he has got...
or may be the limited skills that he posses made him think what these talented gents cant think coz they have too much of it for their own good...?
anyways...while being more instrumental than dhoni in this series as bat...performing at crucial times for india he will have to make way for other when the time will come...
this time he can't blame anybody but himself if this will happen...tho there is still one game left and if he uses bit of his head can still walk away with MoS for me...
he got this post dedicaed to himself.
SP, MSD's not short on credit, nor will he be after this series. His accomplishments are well documented.
Staying with DK here, do you think we'll see him play in the next ODI series - if SRT and Sehwag are back? Doubt it. Some guys gotta try harder, DK sure does. Other guys like Rohit and YS, sure they'll be in.
Haha! Sam, you sure love the guy, don't you?
Even if he gets a 50 or 60 DK would have to make way when SRT and Viru are back.
Unless there is something really special in the last innings. Then he is likely to edge out Rohit for the middle order slot come September. That is a no-win position since Dhoni would not slot him higher than No 6.
DK is likely to end up as India's perennial outsider.
I think you are too pessimistic about DK. He has a good technique and stands a good chance to fill in when Dravid, Tendulkar and Laxman go which is not ages away from now. Even McGill had to bide his time due to Warne. In this case Karthik is 4 years younger than Dhoni :)
Late Inswing, no matter what Rohit Sharma does, even he can't edge himself out of the team - staple till 2011, that's the dicey bit, the world cup team has been fixed already.
Tho he is much younger, DK's predicament's not too diff from Badrinath's - both are outsiders. Not only do they have to score big, they gotta hope nobody else scores - so for DK you're looking at a big 100 with the rest making an 8 digit phone number.
Dhoni the ODI batsman is probably the best batsman India has ever had in ODIs...
Yes I did just say that.. check the stats out..
DK's competition is not with Dhoni, more with himself I think..
Hi Chic, being realistic about DK's chances. Think he's got class, just a little soft in the head at times - the champions call the big moments, and he's already let go of a few this series.
Sure he's still young - gotta make WC2011, and make it count.
Q, give him that much, he's a finisher. Also, while he's at it, he might finish a few careers - hallmark of a shrewd leader. DK, Mishra and Badrinath to a name a few. Who knows, even Sharma.
Statistically and finishing-wise up there in ODIs.
I have seen Dhoni whimpering out to a not out score, and giving up quite early in the chase but remaining not out. Does it contribute to his high average? He does have aother innings where he actualyl takes india over the line- he is no Bevan,though. Me thinks the red ink column in the scorecard is something he consciously aims for - Yeah, Ganguly was selfish, Dhoni isnt
Raj, MSD's got the not-outs alright. Should we also call him Asterisk *
The not outs come as he doesn't like to reveal his hand too early, and prefers to leave it to the end - that's true not only with his batting, but the way he handles the bowling, go all the way - keep a tight game alive till the bitter end.
Saw this in the previous T20 WC. Can say he is conservative, but also give him this, he understands the Chess behind Cricket.
NC, Raj,
I'd like you to read this:
http://cricketingview.blogspot.com/2009/07/dhoni-batsman.html
Sometimes, what is not said gives one a clue. In the post-match conference in the 1st and 3rd ODI, Dhoni did not make any reference to DK's batting. In fact, he praised Gambhir's batting in the 3rd ODI even though Gautham struggled. I suspect that DK, Vijay and Badri are all on their way out soon.
Q, thanks man, read that.
Even DK should read it. Then he'll know how much more he has to do.
Then again those was MSD's ODI numbers, don't think his test and T20 record is that hot. But he uses his head a hundred times more than kids like karthik.
Another thing, if ODIs become defunct, what will MSD do with that average?
Anon, that's classic MSD. The canny bugger weighs his words and makes light of heavy contributions. He's a cricketing Chanakya.
Thanks Anon. Your comment is now a post at Bored.
NC - You seem to be in great form.
Finisher, Chanakya and defunct ODI average.
Great to see this debate while popular media playes havoc with perception.
Hope DK, Badri, Mishra and Ojha are not forced down the VVS way.
Naked - A beautiful, beautiful , beautiful post!!
I feel bad for some of the players- such as DK. He can perform all that he wants, but like you said, it's going to be a catch-up game forever. It's going to be tough to fight the MSD "aura".
Guys like Rohit, Raina, Uthappa, are up the pecking order in the eyes of the BCCI, and every big score of theirs will be equivalent to 5-10 big scores that DK may make.
Potential vs performance.
The sad part is that DK is actually a pretty good player, keeper, and a great improviser.
NC,
If ODIs become defuncy, MSD will probably start taking tests and T20 more seriously...
DK was jinxed right from the start of the WI tour. He was not getting visa to land there in the first place!
Cheers LateInswing. Yeah it has got very predictable in the papers, looks like it's the player's PR writing the sports page.
Y'kno if they're allowed to do a fraction of what VVS achieved, that will be something. Right now, these guys are one-failure away from being forgotten. Even Misra. With DK, if he speaks a long sentence in flawless English, SMG and his goons will hold it against him. MSD of course will not mention it.
Thanks Fark.
Dunno maybe it's a cultural thing with DK, just doesn't fit into the group - better pick some bad language soon. Ma is the key.
Re Uthappa, I do think he got a rough one earlier on, when we went with Gambhir, but that punt paid off, didn't it? As of now, I'd say he too is off the radar, off his head.
Haha! Funny but true Som. DK looks like the kinda kid who the US embassy will refuse on sight - always the visa hunter.
Q, you can say that again.
NC,
If ODIs become defunct, MSD will probably start taking tests and T20 more seriously...
;-)
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