Bowling unit is balanced - Dhoni

[vamos_rafa]

NEW DELHI: Skipper MS Dhoni revealed after the victory over West Indies that he had been slightly daunted by the prospect of going into the first Test without India's most experienced spinner, Harbhajan Singh, as well as their pace spearhead Zaheer Khan. Harbhajan has been dropped due to poor form since he pulled out with an injury midway through India's winless tour of England. Pragyan Ojha and debutant Ravichandran Ashwin, Man of the Match at the Kotla, comprised India's spin attack instead. They immediately impressed, and together accounted for 16 of the 20 West Indies wickets to fall in the game. In the pace section was another debutant, Umesh Yadav, along with Ishant Sharma. "It was a difficult task in the sense that you didn't know what you will get with the players who have not played this format," Dhoni said, adding: "With Ashwin and Umesh Yadav, you were not 100% sure. With Ishant and Ojha, we knew, say, this is the level at which they will perform. It was good to see Ashwin bowl really well in the second innings. Ojha also bowled well in the first innings, which was important because on the first day it was a flat wicket and not easy to bowl. As for Ashwin, he did not get a lot out of the wicket but his variations helped him. He was flighting the ball nicely... he has the carrom-ball and the top-spinner which works." Asked if Ashwin's success meant Harbhajan's comeback was in doubt for the immediate future, Dhoni was non-committal. "Let us see. Ashwin has played just one game. Ojha has done well. Let us see how it goes." Dhoni had words of praise for Umesh Yadav too: "Umesh did well and you would have seen an improvement in the way he bowled in the second innings. He bowls a fraction short but that will get better as he plays more and more Tests. He is consistently bowling above the 135kph mark." Dhoni also talked at length about the pitch and his new record. On the Kotla pitch: The game was not easy. There was nothing much in the pitch for the bowlers or the batsmen. If you see the scorecard you might say the match got over in four days but it was difficult for everyone. It was not a bad track; it was a very Ferozeshah Kotla track. Usually it spins a bit more. The pitch was keeping a bit low. It was a difficult wicket in its own way. There were lots of LBWs. Scoring runs was a big ask. On his 200 dismissals as wicketkeeper: When I made my Test debut I was not a good keeper and I had to really improve a lot. The conditions were difficult. When I made my Test debut, it was Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh bowling at me. We played quite a few games in the subcontinent. On players in his team getting married with such regularity: One thing I will say is that after my marriage, it is not a criteria that if you want to play for India you also have to get married (smiles). There is a right age to get married. I am happy for Ashwin and Gambhir. I welcome them to the elite club!

[gakgupta]

I liked what he said about Umesh......he can be a champion bowler and should be persisted with for 3 to 4 series

[Karan114]

Bowling unit is balanced - Dhoni Bowling unit is balanced - Dhoni S Aga November 17, 2011 MS Dhoni has said he is more than satisfied with an inexperienced bowling attack that won the series against West Indies with a match to spare. He refused to be drawn on whether Varun Aaron, so impressive on his one-day debut against England, would be unleashed for the final Test which starts in Mumbai on November 22. "We have been thinking about it," he said. "But it's too soon right now. We will see what needs to be done. We don't want to overuse the bowlers. We will think about it and do what's best for the side." Without Zaheer Khan, who is easing back to full fitness, and the out-of-favour Harbhajan Singh, India won both Tests inside four days, and Dhoni said the bowling unit looked balanced. "The fast bowlers look very fresh which means they can bowl a lot of overs. The spinners are also fairly fresh and raring to go and have a bit more energy in the field. They back themselves, which is very important in Tests. "In the last Test match [in Delhi], there was something in the pitch that favoured the bowlers. But in this Test, especially in the second innings, there was not much turn for them so they had to rely on flight and variations. "Umesh [Yadav] is someone who can bowl really quick. But we will have to use him in the best possible manner so that he doesn't get injured. It's not always about bowling fast. You have to bowl in the right areas and build pressure. Overall, it's a balanced bowling attack." The series win, albeit against opponents who have been poor travellers in recent times, had more resonance for a team that was drubbed 4-0 in England and which kept faith in most of its stalwarts. "England was a bad tour for us," Dhoni said. "There were several reasons why we did not do well there. It is always good to be on the winning side. "Our batting did not do well in the first innings [of the series]. But after that we have shown improvement. Our fielding has been decent. It still has a long way to go if you compare it to the ODI squad." The one grey spot in the performance at Eden Gardnes was Yuvraj Singh, whose unconvincing 25 resulted in more questions than answers. Virat Kohli waits in the wings, while Cheteshwar Pujara will be back in action in the next round of Ranji Trophy matches. Dhoni refused to comment on selection issues, but said: "At the end of the day, it's about scoring runs. It does not matter where you score runs. Yes, he [Yuvraj] is going through a tough phase but it's important to show confidence in him. We all know he is talented. "One more reason is that he has been in and out of the side. It's very difficult to back yourself. You have that bit of tentativeness. It's a bit tough on him. But hopefully he will recover and do well for India." Dhoni ended the England tour in impressive form and his displays in this series earned him the praise of Jeffrey Dujon, the great West Indies keeper from days gone by, who referred to him as an "excellent package", a term Dhoni though described him aptly. "It's a big compliment for me. I am more of a package than a specialist. I'm neither an extraordinary batsman nor a specialist keeper. It's all about doing things right. It does not matter how you catch the ball, take the edges and affect stumpings. It's important to score at that point of time when it's really good for the side. I hope I will be a specialist one day." This Eden Gardens victory was especially satisfying, Dhoni said, because the pitch didn't deteriorate markedly as the match wore on. "It was not a track where you can walk in and get the batsmen out. It was tough for the bowlers. In the first session on the third day, there was a bit of moisture and the spinners got a bit of turn. "But after that, it turned out to be a flat wicket and continued to be from that point of time. If we had not dismissed them cheaply [in the first innings] then the match would not have ended this way. It was a very flat track. There was nothing really for the quicks or spinners, especially after the third morning. "I'd definitely like to see pitches where it turns more and the spinners get bounce on a consistent basis. Because that's what India is known for. Hopefully we will be able to get those kinds of tracks." India have never won every Test of a series against West Indies, and Dhoni - who insisted that he wouldn't skip the game - was taking nothing for granted ahead of the Mumbai Test. "We will have to see what kind of pitch we get there. West Indies are a good side. Their bowling line-up is quite good. It's not that they can't bat. As you have seen in the second innings, they have talented batsmen. We are expecting a tough third Test." http://www.espncricinfo.com/india-v-west-indies-2011/content/current/story/540895.html

[ganeshran]

That is why they were giving him 3 over spells.

[jusarrived]

That is why they were giving him 3 over spells.

nah , dhoni is hust jealous that he can bowl faster than him

[ganeshran]

nah ' date=' dhoni is hust jealous that he can bowl faster than him[/quote'] :cantstop:

[littlemaster1982]

"It's a big compliment for me. I am more of a package than a specialist. I'm neither an extraordinary batsman nor a specialist keeper. It's all about doing things right. It does not matter how you catch the ball' date=' take the edges and affect stumpings. It's important to score at that point of time when it's really good for the side. I hope I will be a specialist one day."[/quote'] Seems Dhoni read Outy's post :--D

[akshayxyz]

Yes, he [Yuvraj] is going through a tough phase but it's important to show confidence in him. We all know he is talented.

, he is turning UV into Yuvraj Confidence Singh.

[Trichromatic]

Indian batting line up transition has been delayed by at least a year now as Yuvraj tries to gain confidence. :((

[saneindian]

Looks like we will see an unchanged team for the 3rd test. Selectors will need to show some guts and override the team management, especially by dropping Yuvraj and resting Ishant to give Aaron a feel of test cricket.

[BERGKAMP]

If Yuvi has not gained kaanfiduns in the last 10 year then he never will. Time to consign him to the bin in tests and move on.

[Karan114]

Looks like we will see an unchanged team for the 3rd test. Selectors will need to show some guts and override the team management, especially by dropping Yuvraj and resting Ishant to give Aaron a feel of test cricket.

I doubt it, our chief selector is on record saying that he believes Yuvraj can excel at Test cricket. Even after a mediocre record spread over 37 Tests, for some reason these guys think that Yuvraj is a class Test player in the making.

[fineleg]

WC2011 was about Piyush Chawla improving kaaanphidensh Now, Tests are about Yuvi improving kaaanphidensh !!!

[saneindian]

Yuvraj dropped, Rohit replaces him for the 3rd test.

[Number]

:yay: hope he gets a chance. Also , can we go with 3 pacers in Mumbai ??

[fineleg]

Yuvraj dropped' date=' Rohit replaces him for the 3rd test.[/quote'] Source? TV?

[saneindian]

Source? TV?

Yep. Will soon be on the net as well.

[jusarrived]

Yuvraj dropped' date=' Rohit replaces him for the 3rd test.[/quote'] source ? dont see it on cricinfo ..gr8 news if its true .

[Karan114]

Yuvraj dropped' date=' Rohit replaces him for the 3rd test.[/quote'] Finally! :two_thumbs_up: Fully deserved for Rohit. But I guess Kohli will play at Mumbai?

[rkt.india]

That is why they were giving him 3 over spells.

but that is not a right strategy, at least a 5-over spell and then break is what Dhoni should do. Three 5-over spell in a day is not too much bowling. If you go more than 5 like Yadav did in Irani and bowled 10 that is called overusing. You cannot keep your bowlers in cotton wool. Break spells like this 5-4-3-4.