Dhoni admits being ‘mentally fatigued'

[Laaloo]

MS Dhoni, the India captain, has said he will request the BCCI for some rest ahead of the tour of South Africa. India have had a busy schedule since the tour of Sri Lanka earlier in the year and Dhoni said players like himself and Suresh Raina haven't had a break. India play a five-match ODI series against New Zealand, their last international assignment ahead of the South Africa tour, and if Dhoni's request is accepted, he could likely be rested for that series. "If you look at the schedule players like myself and Suresh Raina have been playing non-stop cricket since the Sri Lanka tour," Dhoni told reporters in Nagpur on the eve of the third Test against New Zealand. "We went to play in the Champions League after that and came back and played the Australia and the New Zealand series. "So there has not been enough time to switch on and switch off. We will put in a request to the board but we have to see whether senior players are available or not." The BCCI, last month, had agreed to send some players early to South Africa to prepare for the Test series in December due to the absence of any practice games. Dhoni said the details still had to be "worked out". The first Test begins on December 16. http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-india-2010/content/current/story/487923.html

[Ram]

Perfectly understandable, the guy has been working his behind off.

[panesarv]

Good decision :)

[ZodiaC]

He should have taken it much earlier FFS. Good decision.

[saneindian]

Some news channels reporting that Dhoni will be the captain for the first 2 ODIs. Sachin, Sehwag and Bhajji will be rested for the whole series. Gambhir, Raina and Yuvi don't want to lead from the start of the seies given their bad form!! Not sure if this is masala.

[achilles]

Good. He deserves the rest. What is interesting is that Suresh's name has found a mention in Dhoni's request. That man is really growing fast and I hope he can keep up to the pressure of being the performer we know he can be.

[achilles]

Who would be replacing Dhoni if need be? 1. Dinesh Karthik 2. Wriddhiman Saha 3. Robin Uthappa

[saneindian]

Who would be replacing Dhoni if need be? 1. Dinesh Karthik 2. Wriddhiman Saha 3. Robin Uthappa

I will add another name to that list Ambatti Rayudu. As of now DK looks to be the strongest candidate despite his recent form.

[Andy]

How good is Utthappa as a Keeper? If he is good i'll play him ahead of anyone. Otherwise Saha would be my choice.

[saneindian]

The likely team for the first 2 ODIs: Gambhir Dhawan Vijay Kohli Yuvraj Raina Saurabh Tiwary Dhoni(c & wk) Jadeja Ashwin Ojha PK Nehra Vinay Kumar Unadkat Gambhir, Raina, Dhoni will not be there for the last 3 ODIs. Rohit, DK and Yusuf likely replacements. Kohli may be asked to lead the team for the last 3 ODIs!! This is what a few newschannels have reported so far.

[ZodiaC]

Who would be replacing Dhoni if need be? 1. Dinesh Karthik 2. Wriddhiman Saha 3. Robin Uthappa

DK, most probably. Or else Saha.

[ZodiaC]

The likely team for the first 2 ODIs: Gambhir Dhawan Vijay Kohli Yuvraj Raina Saurabh Tiwary Dhoni(c & wk) Jadeja Ashwin Ojha PK Nehra Vinay Kumar Unadkat

Jaddu's name just under dhoni's :P That looks good, should persist with almost the same team that we fielded against Oz. And of course no Jaadoo :P

[Sachinism]

I'd go with KKD

[asterix]

Hope Jaddu/Sakshi too allow Dhoni some "rest".. :giggle:

[Gunner_Mania]

Hope Jaddu/Sakshi too allow Dhoni some "rest".. :giggle:

I think that joke has gone stale now.

[Andy]

I am not bothered about my form: Dhoni

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Friday said he is "not really bothered" about his Test form but conceded that "poor shot selection" has been a problem for him for quite some while now. "About my batting, I have been playing quite well both in match situations as well as in the nets. I am middling the ball well. But some of the decisions I took while batting have been wrong. I have chosen to play wrong shots while batting with the tailenders. Actually, when you bat with tailenders, you tend to take more initiative and try and play big shots and get out in the process. I am really not bothered about my form," the skipper said ahead of the third Test against New Zealand starting here on Saturday. When asked about Suresh Raina's poor form, the skipper defended the UP youngster. "He has not scored only in a couple of matches. He is a positive player and often gets out playing big shots." The Indian team for the second day in a row couldn't have a proper net session due to heavy afternoon showers. Only Sachin Tendulkar batted for around 20 minutes before players returned to the dressing room. Asked whether this is ideal preparation for a Test match, Dhoni said that sometimes it helps not to practice too much. "It may be a blessing in disguise that we aren't getting enough time to practice. We are playing so much that it's better not to push oneself too much," he said. Dhoni also defended the four-bowler theory and ruled out the possibility of trying something different in this coming Test match too. "Playing four bowlers has been something we have been doing and I don't see playing an extra pacer is an option. Although this pitch will provide some help but then we aren't looking at playing five bowlers," he replied. He feels that in the absence of Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma and S Sreesanth will put their hand up and respond. "This is an ideal opportunity for youngsters to respond to the pressures of international cricket. About Zaheer's injury, I am more than hopeful that he will be available for the South Africa series," the 29-year-old from Ranchi said. However, when asked about the team's bowling woes, Dhoni conceded lack of options has been a problem. "Unlike earlier times, we don't have too many part-time bowling options now. Sehwag is taking care of his shoulders. I can't take a risk with the World Cup being around. It's the same with Sachin. Now we have one option in Suresh Raina. But we are looking at Sachin bowling a few overs before lunch and tea," the captain said. The skipper also defended spin twins Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha who have failed to seize the initiative for the hosts. "Since Anil Bhai (Kumble) retired, Harbhajan has been our main strike bowler. He has always been under pressure to perform. Every time he goes out there, people expect him to take five, four or at least three wickets. He has bowled pretty well but hasn't exactly been lucky," the skipper explained. "As far as Ojha is concerned, he has a specific role to play in this team and that is to restrict the batsman. It's more of a containing job and picking up two to three wickets in the process." Talking about India's bench strength in bowling, the captain said, "What we have is the best available option. You need to give youngsters exposure but there are times when experience matters a lot." Dashing New Zealand batsman Jesse Ryder has time and again been a thorn in the flesh for Dhoni's men. Asked about the reason, Dhoni answered, "He is an aggressive player. If you bowl to his strength, he would score runs. He has been batting really well. Sometimes you need to force a batsman to commit a mistake."

SAUCE

[Andy]

I am not bothered about my form: Dhoni

Yes sir, why will you Bother? You are the skipper , you call the shots. If other players fail to score in few games, they automatically get near the line of Being dropped. But you are the skipper and even if Players like RD Make more runs than what you do/did he will be first player to be considered among the players to be dropped.:winky:

[ZodiaC]

Oh man, so he thinks loses his wickets because he plays with the tailenders? :facepalm: I hope he finds form in this test atleast, will be a great plus for us b4 the SA series.

[ZodiaC]

In b4 vaibhav_delhi btw :giggle:

[achilles]

In here before Dhoni gang arrives :facepalm: Jokes apart, I like the positive approach which Dhoni adopts to the situation. We can think of lot of captains who would've complained about lack of practice before a test match.