The Reverse Sweep

Mahendra Singh Dhoni's crown has slipped

There was a time just a few months ago when Mahendra Singh Dhoni couldn’t do a thing wrong.

Not only was he captain of the India team that had just won the World Cup on home soil, India were also unbeaten in his 11 Test series at the helm and sat proudly at the top of the ICC Test rankings.

If that wasn’t enough he also led Chennai Super Kings to their second successive IPL crown, having also claimed the Champions League for his franchise in 2010.

In short, Dhoni was the main man and a leader that was held in the upper echelon of leaders that inludes the likes of Genghis Khan and Napoleon.

But just as invading Russia proved a step too far for France’s diminutive Emperor, so the tour of England proved for Dhoni.

India weren’t just beaten. They were royally hammered.

Losing the Test series 4-0 was humiliating enough. But the magnitude of the defeats was staggering for a team that had been number one in the world: England won by 196 runs at Lords, 319 runs at Trent Bridge, an innings and 242 at Edgbaston and then finally by an innings and 8 runs at The Oval.

Dhoni’s own form suffered too – a couple of fifties at Edgbaston apart – and his performances behind the stumps were dreadful where it seemed his gloves were made of iron.

Things didn’t get much better in the limited overs matches with England winning the solitary T20 and the one day series 3-0 even if Dhoni’s upsurge in form earned him the man of the series award.

Then if all that wasn’t enough, no sooner had Dhoni returned home to India than Chennai lost their grip on the Champions League and finished embarrassingly bottom of their group.

So as much as Dhoni deserves a rest after an arduous schedule over the last six months, part of him may be glad for the chance to seek immediate retribution against England in the one day series that starts today.

As we wrote yesterday, the series may be pointless on most counts, but if it enables India to repair a few bruised egos and Dhoni to rebuild his reputation as a leader, he and his men will probably take that.

In truth, Dhoni is not a leader of the calibre of a Napoleon, but neither is he an Ian Duncan-Smith either and England will find India a much tougher proposition on their own pitches than they did in England over the summer.

We’re just not sure that we will be paying much attention to it.

Where next?

The India vs England ODI series: Time for vengeance or an utter waste of time?

Dhoni’s no-ball and the case for or against technology

Mahendra Singh Dhoni - A born leader

Our best XI of the 2011 World Cup

Check out all our Reverse Sweep cricket heroes and zeroes 

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

MS Dhoni - Captain Extraordinaire

The King is dead, long live the King. As Lalit Modi relinquished his crown as Emperor of the IPL amidst scandal, backstabbing and intrigue, another King cemented a vice like grip on his own throne as one of the best captains India has ever had along with Kapil Dev and Sourav Ganguly.

As Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his banana clad Chennai team mates celebrated their triumph over Mumbai in the IPL final, one couldn't help admire the man that held the trophy aloft. Chennai had certainly peaked at the right time and it had all been inspired by their captain's magnificent innings in their last regular season game against Punjab in Dharamsala. Chennai were staring defeat and exit from the competition in the face with 29 required off the last two overs when Dhoni took over and blasted Chennai into the last four.

This seemed to bring Chennai together as a team and gave them the impetus to defend a small total of 142 in the semi-final against Deccan and then win the final against Mumbai with the odds stacked against them. Mumbai had Tendulkar, they had home advantage and they had been the best team in the competition, but Dhoni and his troops put in a magnificent performance to triumph.

It was yet another triumph for Dhoni as a captain. First, he won the 2007 World T20 in South Africa just after taking over as captain. In a way it was a surprise given Dhoni's had previously been known as much for his Bollywood style and his flamboyant batting rather than the obviously sound cricket brain that lurked beneath. Soon after taking over the ODI captaincy from Anil Kumble, he led India to their first tri-series victory in Australia. And now as test captain, he has led India to the summit in that form of the game too.

Dhoni may actually become the best captain India has ever had; he may be already.  

Who is the hottest IPL girl? The Result

It's been quite a few days even by the standards of the IPL's publicity hungry machine.

First, we've seen the unseating of the Prince of Darkness himself by his supposed friends and colleagues at the BCCI. Just like Caesar, Lalit Modi appears to be have been stabbed in the back by his erstwhile acquaintances. This one will roll and roll, probably all the way to the start of IPL4 especially with all the lawyers and rumours about match-fixing and spot-fixing.

Then yesterday we saw the triumph of the men in the banana pyjamas as Chennai Super Kings beat Mumbai Indians, Sachin Tendulkar and the crowd to win IPL3. The outcome was a bit harsh on Mumbai as they have been the best side this year, but credit must go to MS Dhoni for his excellent captaincy and to his team for winning the final on their opponents home ground. Mumbai in some respects have only themselves to blame for dropping man of the match Suresh Raina too many times and for holding back Kieron Pollard until it was too late.

There has also been another hotly contested battle going on for the last few days that has also seen daggers drawn and lawyers consulted. The battle to find the IPL's hottest girl has certainly captured the imagination, well as least it has on Twitter for a few sad souls like myself.

Anyway, without further ado here are the final results for the six lovely's that made it through to the final, with a picture of the winner at the end:

6. Trisha Krishnan (1 vote)

5. Geeta Basra (2 votes)

4. Deepika Padukone (4 votes)

3. Katrina Kaif (7 votes)

2. Preity Zeita (10 votes)

1. Shilpa Shetty (13 votes)

Today, all Delhi Daredevil fans will be...

Praying. If they don't beat Chennai they can probably kiss goodbye to a place in the semi-finals. My adopted IPL team stand at the cross-roads of joy or despair.

IPL half-term report & semi-final tips

As those of you that read this blog will know, this is the first season that I have tuned into the IPL, in part thanks to ITV4 (and that's the only time I will utter gratitude in that direction) but mainly out of curiosity to see if the reality lives up to the hype.

Of course it doesn't live up to the hype, but considering it is promoted more than the second coming of Jesus would be, that is hardly surprising. The television coverage and commentating is awful, there are far too many adverts and the renaming of a six as a DLF maximum is a crime; and a serious one at that. The hyperbole surrounding the tournament annoys me too with Shane Warne's assessment of Yusuf Pathan's 37 ball century against Mumbai Indians as the best ever perhaps being the worst example.

 

But taking all that into account, the cricket itself has at times been undeniably exciting even if tilted a little too heavily in favour of the men wielding the willow. The best aspect of the tournament is the fact that the teams are so evenly matched; apart from two exceptions. Mumbai Indians, with Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh and Lasith Malinga to the fore, are cruising towards the semi-finals having lost only one of their first eight matches. Kings XI Punjab on the other hand are the Bangladesh of the IPL with their only victory coming fortuitously in a Super Over triumph over Chennai Super Kings. Since then they have simply disintegrated with the low probably being the shambolic fielding in their last match, which saw a self-inflicted defeat against Bangalore.

That the other six sides are so close in the table is a vindication of the salary cap and perhaps the auction process too. Of these, Bangalore has been the most impressive with a good balance between bat and ball. Jacques Kallis has been imperious, as have Anil Kumble and Dale Steyn, and with Kevin Pietersen and Ross Taylor recently arrived, plus Robin Uthappa scattering bullets, Bangalore look a good bet for the semi-finals.

Delhi Daredevils also look set for the last four and despite a three game losing streak seem to have recovered their poise. Like Bangalore, Delhi look well balanced with the batting strength of Sehwag, Warner, Gambhir, Dilshan and secret weapon Paul Collingwood complimented by Dirk Nannes and Amit Mishra. 

The battle for the final semi-final place is too close to call. Rajasthan Royals looked out of their depth at the start of the competition and likely winners of the wooden spoon, with the failed Damien Martyn experiment seemingly summing up their woes. Despite a recovery of sorts, I tend to agree with Gautam Gambhir's assessment of the Royals as ordinary and predict that they won't make the top four. Reigning champions Deccan Chargers also look off the pace with Adam Gilchrist looking every bit the retired first-class cricketer that he is.

That leaves Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders. Both have improved after average starts and both have been reinforced by antipodeans; Doug Bollinger and Brendan McCullum respectively. I've a hunch that Bollinger will continue his excellent form and that consequently Chennai will pip Sourav Ganguly's team for the final semi-final spot.

So it is Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi and Chennai for the semi-finals for me, but given the closeness of the competition I wouldn't be surprised if I end up with egg on my face. 

Take a bow Doug Bollinger

The main talking point from yesterday's slugfest between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals wasn't the machine gun frenzied batting of Murali Vijay or Albie Morkel for Chennai, nor for that matter was it the response from Shane Watson or Naman Ojha for the Royals.

No in a game where bowlers were effectively kidnapped, tortured and beaten to within an inch of their lives, one man stood tall. That man had only recently stepped off a plane from New Zealand and was playing his first IPL game of the season.

Step forward Doug Bollinger, who in a game that saw a colossal 469 runs in its 40 overs, returned figures of two for 15 from his four overs. It reminded me of a Rambo film, where the hero against overwhelming odds, single-handedly fights off hoards of enemy soldiers before emerging as the victor.

If it hadn't been for Bollinger, then Rajasthan would have incredibly overhauled Chennai's massive 246 for 5. Vijay's 127 off 56 balls with 11 DLF maximums (God, I hate that phrase) was a magnificent T20 innings (as was Watson's 60 from 25), but it should surely be taken into the context of a game where the balance between bat and ball was so tilted in favour of the men with the willow that it was ridiculous. If it had been a war, the army of bowlers would have found that they had only blanks to shoot at a foe that outnumbered and totally outgunned them.

So, for valour in the face of adversity, take a bow Doug Bollinger.

 

In defence of the tie

One of the many wonderful things about cricket is that the Americans (and the French, for that matter) cannot comprehend it. They don't understand how a game can last for five days and still be a draw. Draws or ties are anathema in the US and all their major sports have overtime to ensure a winner emerges in every game - even if the match is part of a league where draws could be easily accommodated.

A draw can be a wonderful thing in cricket as England's three great escapes in the last 12 months at Cardiff, Centurion and Cape Town would testify. A tied match is even better with the Brisbane test between Australia and West Indies in 1960rightly recognised as one of the greatest test matches ever. Even in ODI, a tied match is allowed and who can forget the tied semi-final between Australia and the choking South Africans in the 1999 World Cup?

But as with many things T20 does it differently. In the last few weeks we have witnessed two tied T20 matches between Australia and New Zealandand then in the IPL on Sunday between Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings. But were hands shaken with honours even? No, we had to endure cricket's equivalent of a penalty shootout the Super Over.

As described on Wikipedia, the Super Over is described as thus "At the end of a tied match and before the Super Over, each team nominates a "mini team" that consists of three batsmen and a bowler who bat and bowl in their teams' Super Over, respectively. The team that scores the most runs in their Super Over is the winner of the match."

Sounds simple enough, but to me in cricket it is completely unnecessary. The honourable nature of a tie or a draw is one of the things that makes cricket special and places it above other sports. If God played any sport, it would be cricket. Of course, as part of Lalit Modi's plan of conquering America, the World and then Mars the Super Over is a crucial tactic in converting the uneducated to the virtues of man's greatest invention after beer.

Invariably even the worst inventions have at least one bright spot. The Super Over is no exception as judging by the two matches above, Australians are rubbish at it. In fact they are so bad that they could be the cricketing equivalent of England in penalty shootouts. Matt Hayden's airshot for the Chennai Super Kings was a shot in the arm for bowlers and a defeat for the Mongoose.

But please get rid of the Super Over. Neither Australia or New Zealand deserved to lose and by contrast neither Chennai or Punjab deserved to win.

 

 

 

 

Delhi Daredevils downed by a monster with a Mongoose

After coming aground abruptly against Sachin Tendulkar and the Mumbai Indians, I wrote that the Delhi Daredevils were similar to Liverpool Football Club in that tremendous success was normally failed by dismal failure. It’s not as if I wasn’t prepared either as my choice to support Delhi met with a chorus of warnings that the Daredevils were perennial underachievers.

 

Today with Virender Sehwag again at his scintillating best, Delhiposted 185/6 against the Chennai Super Kings. Game over. Or so I thought.

 

Enter that bully from days of yore, Matthew Hayden. But this time armed with a new weapon called the Mongoose. This new bat has a longer handle, is shorter and thicker than conventional cricket bats and apparently provides up to 20% more power.

 

Placed in the arms of a bully like Hayden, the combination proved irresistible. The former Australian opener even tormented Delhi by starting his innings with a conventional bat. After warming up with three boundaries in his first eight balls, he called for the Mongoose.

 

And Delhi became his cobra as the bowling was flayed to all corners of the ground. Hayden, not someone who really needs extra power, smashed six fours and seven sixes off his first 35 balls with his new beast bat.

I may just be a disgruntled Delhisupporter but the odds are already heavily against bowlers today with flat pitches and small grounds, and in T20 that seems to be exacerbated. So, I’m not sure if providing the bat equivalent of a cluster bomb to gorging batsmen is entirely fair. Maybe the stump height should be increased or the ball made smaller, or hell maybe batsmen should have to bat blindfolded in T20 to even things up?

 

Anyway, it is confirmed Delhi Daredevils and Liverpool FC are one and the same thing. Maybe the Delhiowners could push some cash the way of Rafa Benitez? He certainly needs it.

Who should I support in the IPL?

I didn't take much notice of the first two seasons of the IPL. Being a traditionalist, T20 cricket is not my favourite form of the game. If it was a woman it would be Cheryl Cole - good to look at, exciting even but without much substance and something you would tire of quite quickly. Whereas test cricket is more like Scarlett Johansson. Beautiful too but with depth and mysterious, unpredictable and always fascinating.

But the odd night with Cheryl is not something to be sniffed at and having enjoyed Trinidad and Tobago's progress in the inaugural Champions League, I have decided that I will tune into ITV4 for some of the third instalment of the tournament. But, T&T are obviously not one of the eight teams participating, so who should I support as a non-Indian?

Well if I was a Manchester United fan, I could go down the glory supporter route and simply pick the reigning champions, the Deccan Chargers. But as I regard United and its manager Alex Ferguson as the antichrist that's a non-starter.

Likewise, I also have to rule out the Rajasthan Royals due to the recent 'worldwide franchise' press conference replete with hideous PowerPoint presentations. This is the sort of arrogant move reminiscent of Chelsea. It's a shame in some respects as I could easily follow a side captained and coached by Shane Warne. He may be happy to punt anything nowadays including pants, but the sense of theatre he creates when he bowls is something special. But I hate PowerPoint presentations...

So, what about going down the name route? Unfortunately, most of these are pretty good with the Kolkata Knight Riders in particular standing out. However, this route does enable me to rule out the two worst names of the Chennai Super Kings and the Mumbai Indians. The former sounds like a pack of cigarettes and the last lacks imagination.

Four down, four left to choose from. Having no particular affinity to any city or region in India means that the final decider will come down to the player roster at each of the remaining sides. The Bangalore Royal Challengers have Dravid, KP, Eoin Morgan and Prince Kumble but also have Boucher and Kallis. Delhi Daredevils have the God that is Sehwag plus his apprentice Dilshan, Paul Collingwood and Dirk Nannes, but also have Andrew McDonald. Kings XI Punjab are captained appropriately by King Kumar, which is nearly a reason in itself. And Kolkata Knight Riders have Chris Gayle.

Deities overcome mere mortals anytime, so for me it's a straight choice between Delhi Daredevils and Sehwag, and Kings XI Punjab and King Kumar. And Delhi shade it for me with their plethora of opening batsmen (Viru, Gambhir, Warner and Dilshan - wow!), the last gunslinger in town in Nannes and my favourite England player Colly.

So Delhi Daredevils it is for me then. I cannot see it becoming a big love like that I have for Liverpool, England and Sussex or even Scarlet Johansson, but a few nights with Cheryl could be good fun. In three days time, I'll find out.