On the ODI and T20I tour to Australia, MS Dhoni will lead a team with a number of men on their first international tour. Among the new names are a few all-rounders who have earned their spots on the basis of some fine performances in the domestic circuit.
Gurkeerat Singh Mann and Rishi Dhawan have been included in the ODI squad while Hardik Pandya features in the T20I contingent. And the Indian captain is delighted to have these many options for that crucial role.
“If you see, most of the teams who are very consistent in performance at the international level, they have very good all-rounders,” Dhoni said. “More often than not they have fast bowling all-rounders, and that is something we are lacking to an extent. You also have to rely slightly more on them when you are touring outside India. In the sub-continent you can still rely on a spinning all-rounder, but that is not the case outside the sub-continent.
“These guys have done well in domestic circuit and have been consistent for the last few years. They are getting a chance to see how international cricket is slightly different to first-class cricket. Yes, there have been quite a few inclusions in the side and it seems quite a few will get a chance to play in Australia, in the five ODIs and three T20Is.
“A lot of them will get a chance to play international cricket and I feel it will help them and at the same time we will get some fresh faces around and we will get to see how good they are. When it comes to talent aspect, they are very good in the domestic circuit and now they have to take that leap forward into the international arena,” Dhoni said.
With the World Twenty20 in India not far away, the three T20Is in Australia will be a good opportunity for the Indian team management to try out these youngsters and see where they stand in the grand scheme of things. Although the conditions in Australia will be very different from those they will encounter in the T20 World Cup, Dhoni is pleased to have three matches of the shortest format strung together on an international tour.
“I agree the conditions will be very different to where we will play the T20 World Cup,but at the same time, it is at least good to have three T20s together,” he said. “More often than not you get one T20 in a bilateral series, maximum two, so it does not give you a lot of opportunities to give a chance to the players, to gauge which is a good position for the individual and at the same time which is a good combination for the team.
“Now, especially after the ODI series gets over and we get into the T20 format we have ample opportunity to try different people at different slots and different bowler combinations. So we will be in a better position by the start of the World Cup as to what our playing eleven will look like and what will be the best suited strategy for the team.”
With Suresh Raina excluded from the ODI squad, a slot opens up in the lower middle-order, and Dhoni said it will be filled by either Mann or Manish Pandey. Dhoni, however, is yet to decide whether he will take the No. 6 slot and let the new comers bat higher, at No. 5, or vice a versa.
“One of them will feature in the batting order because those are the two batsmen who are there. Nos. 6 and 7 are the most difficult place for any batter to come if you are making your debut. It is one place where not many have been successful. If you see the past, we have tried almost everyone. Rohit, Rahane and even Virat has played at that number. Now the tricky part is whether to push that individual to bat at 6 or give him the chance to bat at 5 and I take that extra pressure of batting at 6. Now you will have Jadeja or Axar batting at 7. All three are fighting for that place. So, you need some kind of a balance.
“We have four very good top-order batsmen. Where we need to find more talent is for the 5, 6 and 7 slots. You won’t be very consistent at that number but what is important is you have to score at the right time. Definitely one of them will get an opportunity. We will evaluate if five is best suited for them or I should bat at 5 and they at 6.”
While Dhoni is excited to have the fresh faces in his squad, he is also delighted with the return of some of the old ones. The return of Mohammad Shami, who will be on this tour after a long injury layoff, particularly pleases the captain.
“Shami has been a very good bowler for us, especially if you see the period before he got injured. He has been equally effective for us with the new ball, in the middle-overs and in the death. He has been very consistent in his performance. He has worked really hard during his rehab. It will be interesting to see how he shapes up. I will try to manage him well because the World Cup is just round the corner.”
On the spin front, Dhoni is especially excited to have R Ashwin in the kind of form he is. The Indian captain said that the off-spinner remains the team’s “premier spinner” irrespective of where in the world they play.
“Ashwin has been our premier spinner irrespective of where we have played. He has been very consistent with his performance too,” Dhoni said. “Ashwin thinks a lot about his bowling which is a positive. When he started, he started off really well. To some extent he slightly went down after that. That was the time when he was criticised a lot for his variation and everything. But one has to realise that when you are new not many know about you, but then gather all information about you.
“Ashwin’s transition was bound to happen and I am glad he came out it. The only thing I kept telling him was 'when you are not doing well, people will talk a lot about your variations. To me the only difference is, for example, if you were bowling all your variations in 2x4 area before, now you are bowling 4x5 ft area. That is the only thing lacking.. Other than that, you don’t have to worry about anything. It is bound to happen. Just focus on your bowling and you will be good.' He is a thinking cricketer and once he came back, he has been a very different bowler.
“He has been an asset to the team, irrespective of the format. He has been somebody who I have always relied on. He is not someone who has bowled between overs 11th to 35th. I have used him in the first 10 and also from 40-45. He has been good for me, just makes my job slightly easy, especially for a consistent period of time when my fast bowlers have not done well,” Dhoni said.
