Kiss, Kick or Slap: Mahendra Singh Dhoni

He is considered the most successful Indian Cricket captain. Naturally. Courtesy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Team India bled some serious blue and won the World Cup this year. And thus, we bow to ya a billion times. But erm, something went totally wrong with the otherwise pretty sharp MS Dhoni. With India doing rather averagely as they tour England, it was rather odd that MS Dhoni decided that after a peculiar run out, an English player should be called back to play.

This is how it went down.

Ian Bell was on the crease playing what is being deemed as one of his finest innings. At 137 not out, the last ball before tea break was bowled to Bell. The ball was hit and it seemed to go all the way to the boundary. At least the fielder, Praveen Kumar, though as much. He returned the ball back to the wicket keeper (Dhoni) who hit the stumps after the batsmen thought the over was done and were on their way back to the pavilion.

Confused? So am I.

Anyway, this confusion caused big time tamasha amongst the fans and umpires. It was during the tea break that Dhoni decided to withdraw his decision and allow Bell back to the crease. In the bargain, India went on to lose the match.

The critics claim that Dhoni displayed an incredible amount of honorable sportsmanship. The skeptics believe he made a grave decision. The fans claim there was no need for him to play Mother Teresa and question the likelihood of an Indian win if this hoopla didn’t take place.

However, the million dollar question is, what would Gabbar have done? Maar diya jaye ke chor diya jaye?


M.S. Dhoni: Kiss, Kick or Slap:

Desi Girl Talks Cricket World Cup!

February 27th, 2011:
India vs. England

All I could think about today was how badly India needed to win today. And one thought drove me to this. The British ruled over India for 200 years. Yes, 200 years of colonial rule was more than enough incentive to kick some butt, right? It was yet another badle ki aag (revenge) moment for the Indian cricket team. They needed to do this for the country. Unfortunately, the mishti dols (Kolkatta) was unprepared for this match - something about the stadium not being ready. And so, the Indians and British headed down south for some good ol' dosa (Bengaluru) where the match was played today. While it rained like no other prior to the match, India vs. England did happen. Winning the toss, India decided (thankfully) to bat and build a mountain high score. What they didn't know or expect was the outcome.

Boundaries-Sixers-Wickets

*Okay Viru, why the rush? From the get go, Sehwag came on to hit it all over the park. In the first over itself, I had a bunch of heart attacks when he literally survived courtesy of the bad British fielding. But it was only 35 for Viru. Then he was a goner.

*Hai hai mein marr jawan apne lal dulaare Sachin pe! 120 of the best from apna Tendulkar. The highlights were his six 6's and abundant fours. But it was his amazing timing and the look on the faces of the English bowlers made me want to scream with joy.

*Hi Gautam. Nice to see you back in form mister! If you're looking for some good ol' fashioned cricket which is all about staying at the crease, well, that is exactly what Gambhir and Tendu did. They.Stuck.It.Out. 100 runs they accumulated, ladies and lads!

*And just when you thought Yuvraj was only good for his link ups with Bollywood stars, he comes out to give you a solid 50. Now that's more like it Yuvi! Ladki toh aati jaati rahegi...lekin world cup? Chal kaam pe lag!

*Beautiful Mr. Bresnan. Look at those figures: 5/48. Outstanding!

*If you thought you'd seen some fabulous action from Sachin, then please take a look at Andrew Strauss' 158 knock! Cricket at its finest, if you ask me! Remember: India did learn cricket from the English.

*Kudos to the rest of the team that added heaps of runs to the English scoreboard. Played like a team...are you listening India?

*Zaheer Khan. Ab mein kya bolu? India's best bowling scores for today: 3/64. Niaacee!

WTH Moments

*Um...ever seen a butterfly go back to being a caterpillar? Uh yeah, that is what happened to Virat Kohli. It's not that I wanted to see him stay on the crease longer because he happens to be the cutest cricketer from both sides, but the boy is capable of so much more. 8 runs? Eeks!

*Yes England, we know we puzzled you. This is exactly why you felt the need to use 6 players to bowl today, na? Uh oh, what is that... uh yeah, Anderson, 1/91. I would take a look at that one.

*Okay Indian bowlers, what is going on? Your display was dismal today. Bad lunch, isit?

*And yet again, Indian fielding...enuff said.

Why haven't I told you the outcome yet? Cause they bloody drew! That means: No.One.Won. Apparently, this match has made history as it is 4th time in World Cup history that a tie has come about AND both teams accumulated the maximum amount of runs ever scored. Oh yay! (Please sense sarcasm) Why do I NOT care? Dude, what is the point of a tie? It's like winning a gift you already have. And please don't sit here and tell me nonsense like, "Oh, at least they didn't lose" or "Cricket won today!" A tie is a freakin' tie. It doesn't mean crap. Look team India, it's good to be confident but seriously undermining the English team today has bought about a TIE. Maybe you guys need to implement the Great Indian Huddle again. Disappointed today.

India plays Ireland next Sunday, March 6th in Bengaluru. Now what khunas with the Irish? Just win dammit!

Photo Credit: Santa Banta