Dhoni lays emphasis on bowling
31 May 2013 12:28 AM GMT
The new ODI rules and the conditions in England will force India to go in with five specialist bowlers in the upcoming Champions Trophy, according to captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni who reckons all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja will play a key role.
‘Conditions are very different compared to sub-continent. We have to look at the composition of the side and see what kind of bowlers we use but the conditions and the new rule forces us to play with five bowlers’, Dhoni said. ‘Jadeja gives us the balance that we really need. He is a great asset to have with his 10 overs of spin bowling and batting down the order,’ Dhoni said. ‘We are hoping Jadeja fires or else we have a few others,’ he added. Rohit Sharma was promoted to open the innings during the ODI series against England at home but the skipper indicated that Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan will start off in the tournament.
‘It’s good to have Shikhar and Vijay back in the side. They both scored runs in Test matches against a good side. Vijay had a decent IPL whereas Shikhar did well after coming back Vijay had a decent IPL whereas Shikhar did well after coming back from injury. It’s always better to start off with two proper openers. Rohit will be the back-up option while I consider Dinesh as a specialist middle-order batsman,’ he explained.
India will be playing outside the sub-continent for the first time since the new rules have been implemented and Dhoni is a touch worried. ‘We have to see what kind of squad we have got. How quickly the players adapt. We have to plan the composition of our squad depending on the talent that we have. As of now, no one has got niggles and it’s always important to have full squad fit so that you are not forced to field your second XI.’
Asked about the impact that young Bhuvneshwar Kumar will have in English conditions, Dhoni said, ‘He is someone who can swing the ball both ways. He has plenty of cricket in front of him and he will have to face the challenges. With new balls used from both ends, it will be a challenge to bowl between 5th and 8th overs.’ Chennai Super Kings were beaten hands down in the IPL final to Mumbai Indians and Dhoni attributed that to poor batting.
‘Twenty20 format is lottery where you have to be at your best on that particular day. We didn’t really bat well in the final. Now that that format has changed, it will be very different from what we have seen till now,’ Dhoni said, when asked whether losing IPL final would hurt the national team in Champions Trophy. Terming Champions Trophy as a ‘tough tournament’, Dhoni stated that since the advent of Twenty20, it has been a real challenge for the international teams to juggle across all formats. India play South Africa on June 6th.
‘Conditions are very different compared to sub-continent. We have to look at the composition of the side and see what kind of bowlers we use but the conditions and the new rule forces us to play with five bowlers’, Dhoni said. ‘Jadeja gives us the balance that we really need. He is a great asset to have with his 10 overs of spin bowling and batting down the order,’ Dhoni said. ‘We are hoping Jadeja fires or else we have a few others,’ he added. Rohit Sharma was promoted to open the innings during the ODI series against England at home but the skipper indicated that Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan will start off in the tournament.
‘It’s good to have Shikhar and Vijay back in the side. They both scored runs in Test matches against a good side. Vijay had a decent IPL whereas Shikhar did well after coming back Vijay had a decent IPL whereas Shikhar did well after coming back from injury. It’s always better to start off with two proper openers. Rohit will be the back-up option while I consider Dinesh as a specialist middle-order batsman,’ he explained.
India will be playing outside the sub-continent for the first time since the new rules have been implemented and Dhoni is a touch worried. ‘We have to see what kind of squad we have got. How quickly the players adapt. We have to plan the composition of our squad depending on the talent that we have. As of now, no one has got niggles and it’s always important to have full squad fit so that you are not forced to field your second XI.’
Asked about the impact that young Bhuvneshwar Kumar will have in English conditions, Dhoni said, ‘He is someone who can swing the ball both ways. He has plenty of cricket in front of him and he will have to face the challenges. With new balls used from both ends, it will be a challenge to bowl between 5th and 8th overs.’ Chennai Super Kings were beaten hands down in the IPL final to Mumbai Indians and Dhoni attributed that to poor batting.
‘Twenty20 format is lottery where you have to be at your best on that particular day. We didn’t really bat well in the final. Now that that format has changed, it will be very different from what we have seen till now,’ Dhoni said, when asked whether losing IPL final would hurt the national team in Champions Trophy. Terming Champions Trophy as a ‘tough tournament’, Dhoni stated that since the advent of Twenty20, it has been a real challenge for the international teams to juggle across all formats. India play South Africa on June 6th.
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