We are consistently top contender in shorter formats: MS Dhoni
The emphatic victory over Sri Lanka giving a perfect beginning to their World Twenty20 buildup, Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said his side is going to be among the top competitors at the showpiece though some top batsmen are to get plenty of time in the center. Due to the deep batting in India, not all the batsmen have got overs and enough runs under their belt in the past six T20 matches.
“Everybody hasn’t got the opportunity to bat. Nevertheless, you’ll continue confronting this issue because our batting lineup is not shallow.
“It is not how many runs you’ve scored at that time, but maybe if you’re facing just 3-4 balls and you’ll be able to get 10-15 runs, that is going to be a real advantage,” he said. Dhoni said natural states at home is additionally a reassuring factor for the World Twenty20 beginning March 8 for them.
“We’re consistently a top competition in regards to the shorter format.
The Indian captain said the key would probably be to get the dangerous batsmen in the opposition out.
“What the shortest structure does is that it narrows down the difference between two teams. You must keep the big hitters (of competing team) out of the match. Additionally in a knockout match you’ve got to be at your best, you can not have an off day because after the knockout phase begins, it is more like lottery cricket, I feel more consistent to be significant.”
Dhoni said it was helpful to get someone like Jasprit Bumrah in the side, who provide the team a choice to hand the ball to somebody like Ashwin and can bowl yorkers in the death overs. However he said identifying quick bowlers in the 50-over format was more critical than in T20s.
In 50 overs you must be more cautious, you need to keep 2-3 overs of the spinner if the passing over bowler isn’t bowling well, you must bring him in. What it does, you find yourself not using a spinner or a bowler.
“It is something that’ll continually trouble us till we’re sure that these are the group of bowlers who’ll bowl in departure for us. In this format, it’s issue of a single bowler. In 50 overs, in the event you’ve got different bowlers who are your departure bowlers, it provides you with the freedom to utilize other folks between the overs,” Dhoni said.
“General, everyone has got to bowl, which is a great thing. For runs, a bit matches everyone has gone in the past here, be it quick bowlers or spinners, which means they were under pressure at some point in time, that is a great thing. Overall we’re looking great.”
Speaking about Ashwin, whose four-wicket haul while starting the strike, set up the Indian triumph, Dhoni said he was “pick of the bowlers” in the series.
In this format it’s critical. He’s somebody who blends it nicely although at times you often bowl level. He gives us that independence to make use of quick bowlers in the middle particularly when we’ve only two quick bowlers,” he said.
But Dhoni said it’s not “something they’ll continue doing throughout.”
“In the forthcoming matches we’ll find the states. Additionally what gives me that choice is having Suresh Raina in the mixture.
