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    I get the impression that Dhoni's tired: Gilchrist

    Dhoni looks fatigued and needs to get away, freshen up and be back as the leader and inspiration he's been, feels Adam Gilchrist.

    Adam Gilchrist

    Adam Gilchrist, who needs no introduction, spoke to The Telegraph at the Adelaide Oval. Gilchrist, incidentally, is chairman of the National Australia Day Council. He'd been appointed by the previous Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, and asked to continue by Julia Gillard.

    The following are excerpts

    You must be surprised at India's performance...

    It has surprised everyone and frustrated a lot of people, none the least the players themselves. There were high expectations and fans were within their rights to expect a hard-fought series. That didn't happen.

    So, where should the focus of the average cricket lover be?

    Our bowling attack... They've done a terrific job and deserve all the credit... The bowling unit worked well together and allowed (captain) Michael Clarke to ‘manipulate' games.

    Besides the bowling unit, what made it 4-0 for Australia?

    Clarke's leadership...The season began with a 1-1 draw in South Africa and 1-1 against New Zealand at home... It was a delicate time, but he took the leadership bit between his teeth and made the right decisions. He relished the captaincy in this series. Bowling line-ups can make captains look very silly by not executing plans, but Clarke didn't have to face that.

    What's special about Clarke's captaincy?

    Tactically, he's very clever...I'd sensed that during the time we were teammates for Australia...I could tell, then itself, that he's a thinker and a watcher and a learner. Clarke's got the respect of his team and the spirit around the group looks to be good. He has himself acknowledged that, maybe, there had been failings in his make-up and that he hadn't been the perfect team man in the past...But he addressed that quickly. Today, nothing matters more than total commitment to the team... That's one of the values he's passing on.

    Plus, Clarke's been leading from the front...

    Absolutely.

    Mickey Arthur, the new coach, has been doing his job quietly. What have you heard about him?

    That he's helped create the right environment. There's unity and the players are enjoying each other's success.

    What's your take on India's batting group?

    It didn't click in this series...Bowlers win you matches, the batsmen only set them up. India's batsmen didn't allow their bowlers the opportunity to go for the kill. Too few runs don't help.

    But almost the same batting group had been very successful on the 2003-04 tour and fairly successful in 2007-08...

    The wickets had then been flat and lifeless... In this series, even Australia had problems, but some huge individual performances, from (Ricky) Ponting and Clarke, even (Michael) Hussey at times, came to the rescue.

    Is it time for Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, who've served India so well, to retire?

    Oh, I won't get into that...They'll know...The selectors will know what to do...However, I'm one for allowing due consideration to those who've given their life to the national team.

    Sachin Tendulkar's stuck on 99 International hundreds...

    Sure, he'd like to get it, but I'm not sure if he's obsessed with it...I guess it's a matter of time before he gets the next hundred.

    Have you been impressed with Virat Kohli?

    He's a good talent, definitely...There's also Rohit Sharma, who has the potential. But for the potential to translate into something, he needs to get opportunities.

    Did you expect Ponting to answer his critics in such a stunning manner (544 runs)?

    Look, Ponting's a high quality batsman...He'd been working hard, it's not that he was just hoping to hit a purple patch.

    Should Brad Haddin look at life outside the Australian team?

    I've read some of his recent comments...Only he'll know when his time is up...I don't know what space he's in mentally. It has been a challenging summer, but he's a much better cricketer than what people perceive him to be.

    What are your impressions of Mahendra Singh Dhoni?

    I get the impression that Dhoni's tired...I could be wrong, but it does seem as if he needs a break to recharge batteries...He looks fatigued and needs to get away, freshen up and be back as the leader and inspiration he's been.

    Have you been planning for next month's IPL auction?

    I've been in touch with the franchise I captain (Kings XI Punjab) and we're looking at options.

    The final one...How do you keep yourself so remarkably fit?

    (Laughs) Chasing four children! I do my stuff and it will be nice to get to the IPL as fit as anyone else.

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    47 comments

    • john  •  Madurai, Tamil Nadu  •  1 month 15 days ago
      Rest needs not for the Indian team but for the Indian cricket fans....We need national spirit not cricket spirit.. lets dream about the Future of India and our future...lets not waste the time in speaking about the future of Doni, Sachin, Dravid etc..they have already gained a lot in the name of Cricket..they might have done something the in the records of Indian cricket but Indian history still lacks their contribution, i mean they have not done anything to the Indian citizens...we people promote them heroes and we become zeros...lets dream about our future dears...not of them
    • Venkata  •  Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu  •  1 month 15 days ago
      Yes gilly, Dhoni is tired. He needs to revamp and not exactly a break. He himself should aware of such things. Any how, I cannot find Shewag as a captain for Indian team. I suggest some windies legends should be India's coach for both batting and bowling.
    • sohail  •  Pune, Maharashtra  •  1 month 12 days ago
      Instead of Resting Dhoni we should just rest the entire Indian male cricket team and give more attention to the Women Cricket team and other Indian sports like Hockey.
    • jishnu  •  Bangalore, Karnataka  •  1 month 15 days ago
      yes dhoni shud be temporarily removed frm testteam...but shud continue with odi captaincy....hw cn u remove a wc winning captain rught aftr d wc???... IPL shud be bnned .. it will destriy indian cricket....sehwaghs all time injury is due to ipl....the same is the case for yuvraj.....it will destroy indian team...bcci shud take serious actions...atleast it shud b played after a period...say 4 years..then peple will get more interested
    • Neelima G  •  Mumbai, Maharashtra  •  1 month 15 days ago
      The problem with the Indian team is that they have forgotten to play test matches. When they play, they play like 20-20 or one day match. Whosoever plays wishes to have a strike rate of 80/90 starting from opener till tailender. Sachin is no exception, though he has played the maximum number of tests, he has lost the touch. When we become scarry, our run rate comes down to 2.5 and we start losing the wickets also. The same thing happened in England also. Why cannot we learn from Ponting, Clark and others to stay on the wicket and keep the run rate to 3.5 to 4 only?. Why do we forget that when we play test, 450 overs are to be played?.Sehwag must quit test as he does not have temperament to play test. Dhoni too from his face appear to be indifferent, complacent and really tired, Adam has rightly said. For him, "teer lage ya tukka, hum to maare chhakka" Look at Ponting and Clark's innings; inspite of close to 450/500, they have hardly hit a six in such a long inning but their innings were consistent.IT IS REALLY TRUE THAT WE ABSOLUTELY NEED A NEW TEAM FOR TEST MATCHES
    • Subramanian  •  Madurai, Tamil Nadu  •  1 month 14 days ago
      Very positive interview from Gilchrist. Real sportsmanship.
    • ashok k  •  1 month 12 days ago
      Dont You have any other work? Why you pupil are very mad in wasting your time for richer doni, tendulkar, etc....................? Whether they have done anything a bit for you? Why friends you unneccessarily caring for 15 MEMBERS OUT OF 100 CRORE INNOCENT INDIAN PUPIL?
    • abishek  •  1 month 13 days ago
      senior players lyk msd, bhajji, sehwag, gauti shld not play IPL.. it is oly money.. it ll destroy a players ability and character..
    • abishek  •  1 month 13 days ago
      doesnt matter 2 lose a series 4-0..but how we lose is the key.. we need to f8 bk show some intensity etc.. attitude has bcum v.poor in the indian side.they need to hv strategies, tactics, plans 4 every single player..thats how they hv to attack and bcum killers like the old kings of the caribbean..we hv lot of potentials..but...wat cld b done with it??? need to wrk hard and impliment&execute them. and also i feel v.v.v.sry 4 our MSD.he 2 is a human.. ppl hv jus jamd him.. he is annoyed, frustrartd, tired of playng too much of UNWANTED ODI and T20 matches.he s been nt happy with fixtures 4 almost 5-6months!!! indians rather t bcci shld reduce t amount of matches that t indians play in an year..shld create few fast bouncy pitches in India..ATLEAST FOE THE DOMESTIC MATCHES!!
    • Jayantilal  •  Newhall, United States  •  1 month 14 days ago
      GIL I AGREE WITH U ,DHONY WALLET NOW BIGGER THEN HIS TUMMY...ha ha ha...
    • siva  •  Dubai, United Arab Emirates  •  1 month 14 days ago
      It happens now no need of insult to the wound...look for the future....basic is test and good batters and fearsome bowling attack for that we need that kind of pitch back home.....
    • Mann_4u  •  Singapore, Singapore  •  1 month 14 days ago
      GILLI i like ur way of hammering the ball with DANDA..
    • Devington  •  Chennai, Tamil Nadu  •  1 month 15 days ago
      IPL is the biggest threat for Indian team. Every one in the team likes to play for IPL and they have the attitude to play shorter version more. Test cricket is patience, concentration and staying in the crease and leave away moving deliveries which every one in the team failed including the master. More over,they have lost the reflexes, eye sight, movement in the crease. They play tennis shots in the crease. All seniors retire, give youngsters the chance or they will become old.
    • Umesh  •  1 month 15 days ago
      indian team ke players ki advertisment & other income close karo apne aap performence karenge
    • Ramasundara Naga Ratnam  •  Chennai, Tamil Nadu  •  1 month 15 days ago
      BCCI and its honchos are very powerful. Srikkanth can do that much and not even a bit more. Let us say can he and his colleagues remove Dhoni from at least Test Captaincy ?
      Not possible..The Selectors will be asked to leave first. Kiran More as Chairman did all the impossible and immoral things. He had almost given Captaincy to Dravid on a life-time basis or as long as Greg Chappel was the Coach .. So much so , Dravid, as he is doing now, did not take responsibility for World Cup 2007 debacle in West Indies and offer to go.He just stayed put because he knew More and Chappel wanted him as captain because Chappel then could continue as the de facto Captain.

      But Chikka is a decent guy and a man with conscience.He has to talk to Dravid and Laxman and tell them clearly but respectfully , that their being selected for the next Test Series 8 months from now is almost unlikely. Then leave it to them to choose when to go.but certainly not after playing a farewell Series.

      I am a great admirer of both Dravid and Laxman most importantly as human beings. They are both cultured , decent and full of dignity. It is the dignity which they will lose if they do not leave now . Dravid's statement that there is time to think of retirement and he would see how it " pans out" is to indirectly tell the Selectors " Drop me from the next Test Squad if you can "

      Shastri's remarks about the current lack of technique , not only form, in Dravid's and Laxman's batting is a tragic indictment. Shastri cannot come anywhere near the two Greats but his is an influential voice and he has scored runs and runs in Australia.
      Therefore the gap between the Bat and Pad when Dravid and Laxman bat now appears wider than the Khyber Pass.

      Please for Heaven's sake , Dravid and Laxman , do your wife and children, your parents and your admirers all over the World , proud by informing Chikka now to find a new No 3 and No.5 for India.Your reputation will go up both in the short and long term.
    • manimaran  •  Chennai, Tamil Nadu  •  1 month 15 days ago
      gill u r absolutely correct dhoni really tired playing test match one day 20 overs and i.p.l especially playing at home say for 30 minutes thrice day legs become more tired and hurt better he retires
    • ketan  •  1 month 15 days ago
      he not tired , but worried about his endorsements and all things other then cricket......
    • Pradeep  •  Toronto, Canada  •  1 month 15 days ago
      Dhoni is not tired or exhaused, he simply has lost his interest in test cricket, as a player and as a Captain.The reason could be anything - like Sehwag's revolt agains his capataincy in test cricket, oversea fast pitches, England and Austraila both playied their best cricket. But the most important reason is that he is down because he is undermining his own potential as test criket captain.He need to think about that and gather all his courge and start permorming.
    • mohd  •  1 month 15 days ago
      VIRAT KOHLI should replace M S DHONI as Captain of Indian cricket.
    • sa  •  , Jammu & Kashmir  •  1 month 15 days ago
      well as it has been always,when a team goes up ,all praises.yet next it ,due to one or the reason its performance remains minimal all type of nasty words.what is this?
      England the No.1 did not deliver any performance worth the name against Pakistan this series and have let them down.should we rate them lower the 6th position the Pakistanies were placed at!!!

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