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India captain believes he will have to bat in a position that doesn’t hamper team dynamics |
India captain MS Dhoni feels the team is in a good place. The team is back after a successful Test series in Sri Lanka, they have had a good break from cricket and everyone are fit and raring to go for the South Africa series. “We got some time off and that is the reason we were able to get a fitness camp in Bengaluru and a few days here before the start of the series,” Dhoni said on the eve of the 1st T20I against South Africa in Dharamsala. “It is good to get a bit of time off and then get together as a team. You can put in a lot of effort, work on the basics and work on specifics. It feels good; everyone is fit, well rested and prepared; which is a good sign. Hopefully it will be a good series.”
Ahead of the first T20I, MS Dhoni has quite a bit of thinking to do. He needs to figure out his batting and bowling combinations and then the batting order. This Indian batting line-up is packed with batsmen who are used to playing at the top of the order for their respective IPL teams and love to express themselves. Dhoni on his part made it clear that he would love to bat up, but that comes with its own set of problems. “I would love to bat at the top order but we have to see the composition of the side and who is best suited to bat at what position. If you see our T20 side, most of our players are top order batsmen when it comes to them playing in the IPL. When it comes to T20I they bat at different positions.
“For example Rohit Sharma opens the batting for India, Ajinkya Rahane was batting in the middle order but opens in the IPL. A lot of these things are there and we have to see which individual is best at what position and depending on that I will decide on what position I have to bat. Most of our batsmen love to bat at the top of the order, but somebody has to bat in the middle and late middle order so that they can get that many deliveries and can be more expressive.”
Dhoni also made it clear that Suresh Raina could not be labelled as finisher in the current Indian setup. “I don’t think Raina can be considered as a finisher if you talk about the IPL. Raina is someone who has batted throughout at No.3 in T20s. We have promoted him at the top order in the past and he did really well. But, if he bats at No.3, then Virat Kohli will have to bat down the order. We have to figure out what is best for the team because we know when it comes to the talent aspect, all the individuals are well talented but we have to place them at strategic positions so that it is good for the whole team.”
Talking about permutations and combinations, Dhoni also elaborated on the thought process behind picking his bowlers. “Yes, we have four spinners as of now in the team and we have a few part timers, but at the same time we have three proper fast bowlers and a seaming all-rounder in the side,” Dhoni began to explain. “A lot depends on the conditions. For example we feel we may get a bit more dew here (in Dharamsala) than some of the other places. If that is the case then we pick a side according to that. Depending on such conditions, we will decide whether to go with three spinners or three fast bowlers.
“At the same time we have to decide whether we want a leg spinner, an off-spinner or a left-arm spinner if we can experiment with that. Usually when we play with two spinners, one of them has to be a better batsman. We have to weigh all these things up and then go for the best combination on that particular track. Having everybody in the team helps us.”
Ahead of the first T20I, MS Dhoni has quite a bit of thinking to do. He needs to figure out his batting and bowling combinations and then the batting order. This Indian batting line-up is packed with batsmen who are used to playing at the top of the order for their respective IPL teams and love to express themselves. Dhoni on his part made it clear that he would love to bat up, but that comes with its own set of problems. “I would love to bat at the top order but we have to see the composition of the side and who is best suited to bat at what position. If you see our T20 side, most of our players are top order batsmen when it comes to them playing in the IPL. When it comes to T20I they bat at different positions.
“For example Rohit Sharma opens the batting for India, Ajinkya Rahane was batting in the middle order but opens in the IPL. A lot of these things are there and we have to see which individual is best at what position and depending on that I will decide on what position I have to bat. Most of our batsmen love to bat at the top of the order, but somebody has to bat in the middle and late middle order so that they can get that many deliveries and can be more expressive.”
Dhoni also made it clear that Suresh Raina could not be labelled as finisher in the current Indian setup. “I don’t think Raina can be considered as a finisher if you talk about the IPL. Raina is someone who has batted throughout at No.3 in T20s. We have promoted him at the top order in the past and he did really well. But, if he bats at No.3, then Virat Kohli will have to bat down the order. We have to figure out what is best for the team because we know when it comes to the talent aspect, all the individuals are well talented but we have to place them at strategic positions so that it is good for the whole team.”
Talking about permutations and combinations, Dhoni also elaborated on the thought process behind picking his bowlers. “Yes, we have four spinners as of now in the team and we have a few part timers, but at the same time we have three proper fast bowlers and a seaming all-rounder in the side,” Dhoni began to explain. “A lot depends on the conditions. For example we feel we may get a bit more dew here (in Dharamsala) than some of the other places. If that is the case then we pick a side according to that. Depending on such conditions, we will decide whether to go with three spinners or three fast bowlers.
“At the same time we have to decide whether we want a leg spinner, an off-spinner or a left-arm spinner if we can experiment with that. Usually when we play with two spinners, one of them has to be a better batsman. We have to weigh all these things up and then go for the best combination on that particular track. Having everybody in the team helps us.”
Talking about the conditions and the toss playing a factor in Dharamsala, Dhoni said, “It is high altitude and the air here is thin. You can compare this venue to Johannesburg. When you hit the ball, it travels much faster and has a bit of bounce. If there is a lot of dew then the toss could be vital. But since the game is starting in the evening at 7 and you are going to start getting dew, it could be possible that the dew effect will be the same during both the innings. We will wait and watch and when we get a feedback from the grounds men about the dew today, we will decide.”
Source: BCCI