Blogs It is still a team game
May 31st, 2008 by googlyprabhakarThe IPL has once again showed the value of team spirit and a good captain. Both Dhoni and Shane Warne are examples of what good man management can do. There are some differences between them though, with Shane Warne being more expressive. Dhoni rightly mentioned during the post match semi-final presentation ceremony that even though he may be tense inside, he does not show it outside, since it could affect his player’s morale. You can find the same trait in Shane Warne. Another thing that they share in common is that both of them seem to relish pressure cooker situations. Alas, this is not true with many of our ’superstars’ who always come a cropper when needed!!!! It does prove that if a captain does not pressure during crunch situations, the players would also not perform during such situations. IPL has also shown that it is a ‘team’ that wins you matches and not individuals.
June 1st, 2008 at 1:25 am
You are right man. A captain should be able to inspire his team, no matter how tough the situation is.
Warne, as everyone knows, is a big match player and his mere presence would make up for any lack of confidence in the team.
But as far as Dhoni is concerned, the story is a little different. He had players like Murali and Ntini who are very experienced and someone like Fleming, who is easily one of the best captains of this era. Despite that, the way he commanded respect from all of them was something brilliant. Dhoni, the way I see it, has the uncanny knack of exuding confidence, which inspires everyone around him. Sadly, this is something even big guns like Dravid and Sachin could not do when they were captains. Ahem, that’s for another day.
I’ve been rooting for the Chennai Super Kings for a while now. Now that they’ve reached the finals, I don’t have any favorites. Let the best team win. Both teams have captains who have proved that they have what it takes to take the match right down to the wire.
June 1st, 2008 at 6:45 am
I knew the Kings XI Punjab were in trouble the moment I started rooting for them
So I guess now it is up to me to decide who would win the IPL Finals
So Kris for your sake, you should hope that I do not root for the Chennai Super Kings, because then they are done 
Regardless of who wins, let’s hope that the Final is much more interesting and close than both the totally one-sided Semis.
June 1st, 2008 at 9:47 pm
The Final definitely was well contested and went down to the wire. I guess a few key lapses in the field, including a wide+bye in the final over did the Chennai Super Kings in. In any case, it was a well fought match with the team having the best record during the league phase winning it all…….