The Indian captain had plenty to say ahead of the clash against Sri Lanka in the third ODI of the ODI tri series at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium.
After walking out of a practice session that did not present the best of pitched, Mahendra Singh Dhoni trained his eyes on the bowlers. And sending clear indications of the captain’s angst, vented his thoughts about the bowlers and their performances in full public view, perhaps knowing that the BCCI was not giving the team management any concessions. He certainly had a lot to say as is evident below:
“Bowling department needs a bit more rotation compared to batting department. You have to see where exactly the bowler or the batsman is. Whether he plays a few more games or if he is given rest in the next few games. What will be the impact?
“So, accordingly you decide if rest is needed. Then you give rest to the players so that they do not get injured and get some time to recover from niggles. That is the criteria when it comes to giving rest to someone. It has worked for us so far and I am just hoping that it will work for us in the near future.
“The workload on the bowler can be too much if you see specially those playing both the Test matches and the ODIs. Because the workload on them is a bit too much, that really challenges the limit. For batsmen, they don’t have to put in the same amount of effort compared to a bowler.
“I think it is upto the individuals to do their best in whatever opportunities they get. Whether it is domestic cricket like the Duleep Trophy, the Challengers and the Deodhar Trophy.
“It is better off personally if you can rest someone and prevent him from getting injured. You know that actually does not hamper his form. The kind of momentum that one gets because of good performances can just continue and he will always be in a positive frame of mind. It is important to switch on and switch off.
“One thing that Jadeja was really doing well for us was he was bowling really well. In fact at times it seemed that we are playing with five specialist bowlers. So, if he is not doing that well with the ball definitely we can offer to have one more specialist batsmen.
“If that number seven slot is not bowling that well then it is always better to have a specialist batsman but still I think Jadeja can do the job for us. I am just hoping he comes back to form and it is always good to have five bowlers considering the majority of his performances that he has done with the ball.
“It is better to have a back up bowler. That is one of the reason why Munaf is here .But we treat him as a part of the side not a back up bowler. He also qualifies if he does well in the net sessions you know.”
Dhoni Walks Off During Practice Session Over Poor Pitch and Karthik’s Injury
Tri Series ODI 2: SL Humble NZ; Battle for Bonus Point Keeps It Interesting
Munaf Joins Team India in Sri Lanka for ODI Tri Series
BCCI Cancels Indian Cricket Team’s Trip Home Even as Dhoni Talks About Rest
Tri Series ODI 1: New Zealand Hand India a 200 Run Defeat!
Tri Series ODI 1 Half Time: Taylor Plays Captain’s Knock; Styris Stays Strong; NZ – 288
Sri Lanka-India-New Zealand ODI Tri Series Preview: World Cup On Their Mind; But Depleted
Jesse Ryder Gets Yet Another Final Chance to Change His Ways
Jesse Ryder Punished by New Zealand Cricket Over Drunken Misconduct
India-Sri Lanka-New Zealand ODI Tri Series Schedule
Indian Squad for Sri Lanka Tri Series Sees Tendulkar, Harbhajan, Gambhir Rested
Asia Cup Final: India Score Emphatic Win over Sri Lanka to Lift Asia Cup Trophy
Sachin Tendulkar looks ahead to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011
India v Australia and India v New Zealand Schedule Released, Revised
