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Dhoni is more of a batsman: Kirmani
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Syed Kirmani views wicketkeeping as a thankless but crucial job
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Behind THE WICKET Former wicketkeeper Syed Kirmani
Former India stumper Syed Kirmani feels that Indian captain M. S. Dhoni is more of a batsman than a wicketkeeper. The newly-appointed captain of the Indian team has caught the imagination of fans with his splendid batting feats. But Kirmani (‘K
iri’ as he was known during his playing days), feels that Dhoni’s stupendous batting prowess often overshadows his work as a wicketkeeper and that there is room for improvement in his work behind the stumps.
“I still stand by my comments that he has to improve a lot behind the stumps. And I believe that any keeper who stands on his heels and not on his toes, would have lesser ground to cover behind the stumps,” he explained .
Commenting on Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist, Kirmani stressed that the greatness of a player lies in the high level of consistency he displays over a period of time. “Wicketkeeping is a thankless job and very rarely gets its due,” he said.
Kirmani said that it is too early to judge Dhoni as a stumper and a captain. “But it is a fact that a wicketkeeper is the best judge of any player or any given situation by virtue of his position on the field.” The former national selector also felt that the Indians tend to have high expectations every time the Indian team takes the field. “They want their team to win every match. It doesn’t happen that way,” he reminded.
However, he complimented the Australians for their phenomenal consistency. “Mind you they won three consecutive World Cups. And I personally feel that India’s solitary win in the on-going one-day series is itself a major achievement,” he remarked.
On the general impression that captaincy is a burden for some of the best players Kirmani said he did not agree with that view. “It is a challenge and a great honour to represent your country as a captain,” he observed.
About the 1983 World Cup win (where he played) and the recent Twenty-20 World Cup title, Kirmani said it would be unfair to compare the two.
“Times were different. We had our own good times and Dhoni’s team too had their moments of glory. But, I can say that in those days we played for the passion of the sport and not for money,” he remarked.
V. V. SUBRAHMANYAM
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
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Delhi
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Kochi
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Mangalore
Puducherry
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Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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