Well, it was epic! Just epic! This Indian team has just kept on going from strength to strength in the ICC Champions trophy 2013 in England. When the tournament started I don't think India were downright favorites to win it. But, the character, discipline, determination, <insert cool sounding nouns>, etc which they have shown has been truly remarkable.
It wasn't that long ago, when India lost those 8 test matches in England and Australia and also lost the test series to England back home. It was a serious throbbing and it didn't take long for such memes to get popularity..
But now it's like...
This victory has certainly proved everyone wrong. The Kohlis, the Dhawans, the Ashwins, etc all made their debuts under Dhoni. It was under him, when their careers blossomed. It was under his roof when they sought shelter when things got bad. It was his confidence in those individual players which made them realize their roles in the team. Gone are the days of the Sehwags, the Yuvrajs and the Harbhajans.
Dada left a legacy. And that's what great captains do. They not only win matches but also form a settled unit. A unit which will win matches even if they replace the captain. A unit which makes sure that the new captain doesn't have to start from scratch. The team which Dada along with John Wright(whose contribution is often underrated) put together truly changed Indian cricket. We suddenly started becoming more aggressive. We started winning abroad. The Kaifs and the Yuvrajs made sure that it was high time that we started doing this thing called 'fielding'.
I believe this is exactly what Dhoni's men will do. This team will leave a legacy for the future. This is the true MSD unit. It is young, agile, determined, <insert cool sounding adjectives>, etc. The batting looks settled in all sorts of conditions, the bowling is as good as it can get and the Indian fielding has gone to a completely new level. There are very few areas of concern, but as Dhoni himself puts it "There is always scope for improvement and we take one game at a time and don't look too much into the future".
I respect the talent in this country but it takes a captain(a really good one) to put a team together. It takes that extra oomph in confidence of young players to perform at the big stage. This comes from the captain. Decisions like giving Ishant Sharma a vital over when he had gone for plenty in the final or promoting Rohit Sharma at the top of the order when his place in the team was in a spot of bother; or a simple "Isko 'ultaa' vaala daal, Jaddu*" chant from behind the stumps often provides that oomph.
Having said all this, a lot more criticism would shut down forever if India becomes this invincible in Test Cricket too. A very important tour of South Africa is coming up later this year and if India wins it, I believe people will start forgetting the 0-8 throbbing in England and Australia. Nevertheless, this team is here to stay and all the best to them in the future. Go India.
*Translation: "Bowl him the 'tricky one', Jaddu(Jadeja)"
It wasn't that long ago, when India lost those 8 test matches in England and Australia and also lost the test series to England back home. It was a serious throbbing and it didn't take long for such memes to get popularity..
But now it's like...
This victory has certainly proved everyone wrong. The Kohlis, the Dhawans, the Ashwins, etc all made their debuts under Dhoni. It was under him, when their careers blossomed. It was under his roof when they sought shelter when things got bad. It was his confidence in those individual players which made them realize their roles in the team. Gone are the days of the Sehwags, the Yuvrajs and the Harbhajans.
Dada left a legacy. And that's what great captains do. They not only win matches but also form a settled unit. A unit which will win matches even if they replace the captain. A unit which makes sure that the new captain doesn't have to start from scratch. The team which Dada along with John Wright(whose contribution is often underrated) put together truly changed Indian cricket. We suddenly started becoming more aggressive. We started winning abroad. The Kaifs and the Yuvrajs made sure that it was high time that we started doing this thing called 'fielding'.
I believe this is exactly what Dhoni's men will do. This team will leave a legacy for the future. This is the true MSD unit. It is young, agile, determined, <insert cool sounding adjectives>, etc. The batting looks settled in all sorts of conditions, the bowling is as good as it can get and the Indian fielding has gone to a completely new level. There are very few areas of concern, but as Dhoni himself puts it "There is always scope for improvement and we take one game at a time and don't look too much into the future".
I respect the talent in this country but it takes a captain(a really good one) to put a team together. It takes that extra oomph in confidence of young players to perform at the big stage. This comes from the captain. Decisions like giving Ishant Sharma a vital over when he had gone for plenty in the final or promoting Rohit Sharma at the top of the order when his place in the team was in a spot of bother; or a simple "Isko 'ultaa' vaala daal, Jaddu*" chant from behind the stumps often provides that oomph.
Having said all this, a lot more criticism would shut down forever if India becomes this invincible in Test Cricket too. A very important tour of South Africa is coming up later this year and if India wins it, I believe people will start forgetting the 0-8 throbbing in England and Australia. Nevertheless, this team is here to stay and all the best to them in the future. Go India.
*Translation: "Bowl him the 'tricky one', Jaddu(Jadeja)"
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