Monday, May 23, 2011

Dhoni setting an example for other skippersWhat distinguishes him from the others is his readiness to take on responsibilities when going was tough-






Dhoni setting an example for other skippers(GOOD WISHES)

Sunil Gavaskar | 2011-05-23
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Chennai Super Kings,Kolkata Knight Riders,Mahendra Singh Dhoni,Jacques Kallis

Three teams in the playoffs have never won the IPL and they will go flat out to try and upset the defending champions Chennai Super Kings and stop them from winning another title. The skipper of the Chennai Super Kings is one who knows what winning is all about.

Under him the Super Kings have not only won the IPL but the Champions League too and then his most recent win has been the World Cup so he is indeed a winning captain and will be brimming with confidence. What distinguishes him from the others is his readiness to take on responsibility especially when the going is tough.

malinga getting carried away seeing bouncers.....!!!

So when the team needs a push in the scoring rate, he will be the one to walk out ahead of someone who has been in good form but may not have his range of shots and the daring to play them that the skipper posseses. His example of showing no emotions is being followed by the other skippers in the IPL though some of them fail to control themselves like Dhoni does.

Still it is a good sign for it will mean that youngsters who are nervous about playing such a pressure-filled tournament can make mistakes and won't be bawled out by their captains on the field. The skippers are under immense pressure too since they are invariably the highest paid in their teams and so are expected to work miracles whenever the team is in trouble.

The new eliminator system for this year's tournament gives teams finishing in the top two another crack at getting into the finals. The only hitch is that the winner of the second semi-finals will have to play the finals the next day and if there's been a bit of a niggle for a key player then there is no time for him to be treated and so he may well have to play with that little injury. Didn't we see that in last year's finals when Tendulkar had that nasty split in the webbing but still played and in fact stopped some fierce shots with that injured hand.

The Mumbai Indians would have breathed a sigh of relief once the Kings XI Punjab could not raise themselves for one big final effort and this reprieve may well work in their favour. However they have to sort out their batting line-up since they seem to be wasting some players by having them too low down the order.

Hodge is one of the world's unluckiest cricketers

If there is a team that is determined to win, it is the Kolkata Knight Riders. Their skipper Gambhir is so charged up with the possibility that he is taking no chances and doing it all himself. He has a good bowling variety at his disposal which has made the task of defending small totals better than earlier.

The fourth team in the playoffs is a team that is having such a good time off the field that it is being reflected on the field too. There is perhaps no happier team in the IPL than the Royal Challengers of Bangalore and that joy is also being conveyed to their followers.

It is going to be close alright and just the kind of finish that the IPL wanted.

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