Massively commendable thing they did today. Upheld the spirit of the game at a sacrifice to their own chances of winning. I know many would say they shouldn't have done it but to me its things like this that make cricket special and unique from other sports. All sports started out life as simply a way to have fun and playing the game in a manner of sportsmanship, honesty and respect were a big part of that fun. Unfortunately money, fame and politics have crept into other sports and tainted them in various ways from this original idea so much that they no longer care about it.
Cricket does still care about it and so do those who play it. Dhoni and co made their decision because they value the spirit of cricket and would feel like they were playing a lesser, less enjoyable game if it was removed. They deserve a lot of credit and hopefully will receive equal generosity from the England players and fans for the rest of the series. Its fantastic that the current 2 best teams in the world can entertain the world with a series fought out with the highest of playing standards and moral standards.
Well done India
posted on 1/8/11
Dhoni i think acted the right way completely. One could argue that the decision to let Bell bat should have been taken on the pitch, but probably after reviewing it on tv, realisation that perhaps they got the wrong end of the stick sunk in and changed their minds.
To be honest, the only people I do have a problem with is Strauss and Flower. They should not have gone to the Indian dressing room and seek a change. Things like that shouldn't be forced and I think they behaved in the wrong way. Almost seems like they pressured them into making the decision that they wanted, like a bully. It would be interesting to know what would have happened had they not gone down. I believe that the decision to let Bell carry on batting would still have been made, however the fact the 2 England chiefs went down does take some gloss off Dhoni and the entire Indian team's good nature, which is naturally wrong.
posted on 1/8/11
ah, didnt see that the article below was on the very issue i was ranting about lol