England

Fanning the Spirit of Cricket: Mahi lights the way

If the Spirit of Cricket were a kite, then we all know who should be holding the strings, sending it soaring into the stratosphere.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni made Indians (and connoisseurs of the game) proud with his decision to rescind the contentious appeal made against Ian Bell at the break of tea on the third day of the third Test at Trent Bridge on Sunday, the 31st of July, 2011.

The contrast between the two sides was not more readily apparent than last evening.

One side has gone to town with allegations about ‘bat-fixing’ with Vaseline to fox ‘Hot-Spot’, the other exhibited that the spirit of the game was more important than winning at all costs.

Spirit of Dhoni transforms jeers into cheers

Rahul Dravid: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

What he said:

“In days of my backyard cricket, I was either a Gavaskar or a Vishwanath.”

Rahul Dravid is justifiably proud of equalling Sunny Gavaskar’s record of 34 Test centuries in the second Test at Trent Bridge.

What he really meant:

“Those were my childhood heroes. Neither kept wickets though. (Or did they?)”

What he definitely didn’t:

“I’m unsure what to do next: Commentate or select (the Indian squad).”

Shammi Kapoor and Tim Bresnan: Doppelgangers

Ronnie Irani: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

What he said:

“Go and play like Pietersen plays.”

Ronnie Irani is convinced that the Indians were not quite aware of their No.1 status and were overawed by the occasion in the first Test at Lords. They were way too defensive and much too passive. The former English cricketer exhorts them to take the bull by the horns and “play like KP does.” He adds: “They are the No 1 cricketing nation and if they don’t attack, England will tear apart their mental state.”

What he really meant:

“For the No.1 side, the Indians were not quite fearless enough.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“Flex your six-pack (if you have one) every chance you get.”

“Naive” Monty Panesar takes flak from Andy Flower

Kapil Dev: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

What he said:

"Dhoni has made mockery of Test cricket by bowling (himself).”

Kapil Dev is less-than-enthused over Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s decision to be the spare bowler in Zaheer Khan’s absence due to a hamstring injury in the first Test at Lords.

What he really meant:

“First he took away my glory at being India’s only World Cup winning captain, now he wants to bowl medium-pace as well. Where will he stop?”

What he definitely didn’t:

“Dhoni da jawab nahin.”

England Lord it over Team India in first Test

Mahendra Singh Dhoni had this to say about the first Test loss at Lords: “What could go wrong, went wrong.”

The Indian skipper attributed the defeat to three factors: Zaheer Khan’s injury, the lack (consequently) of a third seamer (the Jharkhand native rolled his arm over) and misfortunes (Gautam Gambhir’s elbow blow and Sachin Tendulkar’s viral flu) that forced the reshuffling of the batting order in the final innings.

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Saurav Ganguly: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

What he said:

“You’ll not get another Sachin Tendulkar in a short time, or it could be you never get a Sachin Tendulkar.”

Saurav Ganguly is an unabashed Sachin Tendulkar fan.

What he really meant:

“A genius like Tendulkar comes along once in a generation or two.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“We’re cloning Tendulkars at Eden Gardens and Wankhede.”

Elizabeth Hurley: What she said, really meant and definitely did not

What she said:

"SW does not wear eye makeup or have an ‘eye liner tattoo’ – his eyes were born that way!"

Elizabeth Hurley rushes to the defence of  her boyfriend, Shane Warne, categorically denying that the blonde leg-spinner has been using her make-up to appear attractive.

What she really meant:

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and not in eyeliners!”

What she definitely didn’t:

“Beauty is skin-deep.Hence, I’m returning my Estee Lauder products.”