Dhoni: Powerplay Overs Are Area Of Concern
Oct 12, 2014, 09:33 IST
New Delhi: Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Saturday gave a sneak peek into India's World Cup plans after their series-levelling 48-run win over the West Indies in the second ODI of the five-match series at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in New Delhi.
Dhoni highlighted India's concerns in the Powerplays, death overs and with the third seamer while eventually ruling out Kuldeep Yadav's chances of playing in the 2015 World Cup. "We will have to wait and watch. We will have to still feature the best eleven. Ultimately what's important for us is to win games. And also we have to sort out few issues with the third seamer," Dhoni said when probed about the chinaman bowler during a post-match press conference.
Asked when fans would get to see the young Uttar Pradesh bowler unleash his skills, Dhoni pointed how important it was for the team to sort out the question of the third seamer rather than having a look at the spinner. "We have been constantly asking questions about who the third seamer is and who is our death bowler? If we want to play third spinner here we may but at the end of it when we go outside we encounter fresh challenge. Especially with the World Cup around the corner we will have to sort it out. That's the reason we are going with three seamers," Dhoni said.
India captain also stressed upon the need of multi-skill players and explained how it was important keeping the cricketing extravaganza in mind. "We want to give him [Kuldeep Yadav] games but at the same time there has to be stability in the side because I don't know how good he is with the bat. We know Amit Mishra can bat a bit. Even in this game if you see nine, ten and eleven, if they don't contribute with the bat it becomes really difficult.
"Hopefully, he will get a game but we will have to wait and watch,” Dhoni said making it clear that chances of that happening was low.
The India skipper also emphasised on the need of using the Powerplays well after their batsmen managed just 37 in the first one and then 29 runs in the next, losing one wicket. "Well we have not consistently done well in the Powerplay and that's an area of concern. Ideally if you don't lose any wickets in a Powerplay you can extend your slog. But if you lose wicket it gets delayed," he said.
Dhoni also made it clear that dropping Virat Kohli to the fourth spot doesn't mean that team's think-tank has actually settled on their batting positions. "There could be a change. We have not fixed any slot. Ajinkya played well in England. Rohit has done well whenever he has opened. It is important for us to see who bats well in what conditions. We will see it and finalise," he said as the queries of the Australia's tour and World Cup dominated the discussion.
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Dhoni highlighted India's concerns in the Powerplays, death overs and with the third seamer while eventually ruling out Kuldeep Yadav's chances of playing in the 2015 World Cup. "We will have to wait and watch. We will have to still feature the best eleven. Ultimately what's important for us is to win games. And also we have to sort out few issues with the third seamer," Dhoni said when probed about the chinaman bowler during a post-match press conference.
Asked when fans would get to see the young Uttar Pradesh bowler unleash his skills, Dhoni pointed how important it was for the team to sort out the question of the third seamer rather than having a look at the spinner. "We have been constantly asking questions about who the third seamer is and who is our death bowler? If we want to play third spinner here we may but at the end of it when we go outside we encounter fresh challenge. Especially with the World Cup around the corner we will have to sort it out. That's the reason we are going with three seamers," Dhoni said.
India captain also stressed upon the need of multi-skill players and explained how it was important keeping the cricketing extravaganza in mind. "We want to give him [Kuldeep Yadav] games but at the same time there has to be stability in the side because I don't know how good he is with the bat. We know Amit Mishra can bat a bit. Even in this game if you see nine, ten and eleven, if they don't contribute with the bat it becomes really difficult.
"Hopefully, he will get a game but we will have to wait and watch,” Dhoni said making it clear that chances of that happening was low.
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Dhoni also made it clear that dropping Virat Kohli to the fourth spot doesn't mean that team's think-tank has actually settled on their batting positions. "There could be a change. We have not fixed any slot. Ajinkya played well in England. Rohit has done well whenever he has opened. It is important for us to see who bats well in what conditions. We will see it and finalise," he said as the queries of the Australia's tour and World Cup dominated the discussion.