Was Dravid right in declaring the innings when Sachin was batting at 194*?

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/64081.html

Year 2004, India playing an important series aginst Pakistan amassed 675/5 on the second day of the match. Dravid declared the innings with Sachin being stranded on 194*.

Was the decision right?
Although Dravid admits that what he did was wrong however there are lots of Sachin detractors who think otherwise?


This is what John Wright then coach of Indian team has got to say in his book.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/india/content/story/255244.html

The team comes before the player every single time. If Dravid thought it was the right decision with regard to pushing the match forward then yes, he was right to make that call.

If you're going to be a successful cricket team compassion needs to go out of the window, and decisions are made for the benefit of the team, not the individual.

FIF then let me know single other instance where a batting milestone was compromised. There were 3 days to spare and Sachin was just 6 runs away from it.

It's happened plenty of times across the years. On what was obviously a very flat track a lot of time would be needed to bowl the other team out twice. If that was the case, then the captain has every right to say 'ok, we have enough runs, and a lot of scoreboard pressure, now let's go and bowl them out twice'.

Personal milestones shouldn't come in to it, it's a team game. Players play for the team, teams don't play for the player.

Then why was ANdy Strauss waiting for Bresnan to complete his half century or for KP to complete his double.

All declarations have revovlved around personal milestones if some was going to happen. IMO Dravid could have waited. The declaration was not needed at that time.

Some have, I'm not disputing that, but that is up to the individual captain.

If the captain feels he should declare, and his team then go on to win the match, then who is to argue?

Some will allow milestones to be reached, but for me, and for the ruthless brand of captain (e.g. Nasser Hussain), personal glory goes out of the window when it comes to decisions for the team.

wow wrote:FIF then let me know single other instance where a batting milestone was compromised. There were 3 days to spare and Sachin was just 6 runs away from it.

Hick against the Australians(I think), Atherton declared when Hick was in the 90's, can't remember the exact score he was on.

two ways of looking at this for me.

1) it's a team game, so personal milestones should be unimportant, or at the least the team should always come first. For your information wow, Atherton declared with Hick on 98* in Aus in 94.

2) Personal milestones give the team a lift, and they then go out into the field with renewed energy, e.g. England vs SL first test where they allowed Bell an over to make his hundred. If you don't allow the player to reach his milestone the opposite can happen, eg the game mentioned above.

Ultimately I side with 2, as long as it doesn't compromise the chance of a result. Batting on for a couple more overs doesn't usually make much difference IMO. However I remember a test in India a couple of years back when India batted on long into the final day to give Gambhir and Yuvraj a chance at hundreds, when declaring earlier could easily have pushed for a win. This was wrong IMO, and I found it poetic justice that both players failed to reach said hundred.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63665.html

stranger than what Dravid did!

I cannot recollect this 1994 match but it seems amusing as why did Atherton do that?

The game ended in a draw, so it was clear we needed to get a move on. Had he let Hick get 100 and then we drew he may have come in for some criticism.

The needs of the team are always above and beyond personal milestones (or should be, at least).

dravid should have waited for SRT to get his 100

Hick was faffing around a little from what I recall.
It was harsh but admittedly fair.

Anu it was 200, sachin was at 194.

Team is bigger than a player, or even a demi god.

Didn't Imran once declare on Javed, when Javed was 280-290 not out?

Demon Racer wrote:Didn't Imran once declare on Javed, when Javed was 280-290 not out?

http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1980S/1982-83/IND_IN_PAK/IND_PAK_T4_14-19JAN1983.html

Stella wrote:

Demon Racer wrote:Didn't Imran once declare on Javed, when Javed was 280-290 not out?

http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1980S/1982-83/IND_IN_PAK/IND_PAK_T4_14-19JAN1983.html

Cheers mate, knew my memory wasn't failing me just yet!!!

Javed hasn't forgiven Imran for that as yet!!. Read his 'Cutting Edge.
Tendulkar getting a double against Pakistan would have been nice, but the team winning is even nicer, and in the test concerned, India did just that. So no complaints!.

never liked Javed.

If you think you've got enough time to let a player get to a milestone AND win the game, then let the player get to his milestone. As has been said, it can give the team a lift.

If you feel you are fast running out of time, tell him to hit out or get out. Either he gets to his milestone in the next 3 overs or so, he gets out, or you leave him stranded.

If you feel you don't have enough time to let him bat on, declare. Even if he's on 375, if you think you don't have time to let him get 25 runs AND win the match, then declare.

It's harder in the first innings, because although you have more time you have to get the team twice. My favoured option would always be to declare earlier and try and have a second bat (unless the pitch was going to flatten out) in between their innings, take the game away from them and rest your quicks. In the second innings it's a much simpler equation to forecast.

In relation to the particular game, Dravid wasn't wrong in that his team won the match (no serious blow to morale then). Although India won with time to spare and Sachin was close, if he had have batted on and got Pakistan 9 down following on and well short by close of play on day 5, then everyone would be up in arms. Sachin's strike-rate wasn't particularly good that game, and with the fielders closing in and the pressure of the milestone, it might have taken a while for Sachin to get to 200, or he might of even been out trying.

You have to say it was a hard decision by Dravid, but nailing the tough calls is what makes you a successful captain.