The Dhoni Era!

[Zap_Brannigan]

What are the changes we are likely to see in the side under Dhoni? 1. 5 or 6 batsmen(excluding Dhoni) - In Eng, with most of our batsmen not firing esp Dhoni, we effectively went in with 5 batsmen and a long tail. But with Pathan back in and Dhoni batting in Indian grounds, we will have a stronger lower middle order. So will be go in with 5 bowlers? Things to note : Although,we went in with the same # of batsmen in the T20 cup, it was understandable since it was only 20 overs and #7 would hardly get to bat. Chawla is being replaced by a middle order batsmen in the squad. 2. Decision after winning the toss : I could never understand Dravids decision to either bat or bowl when he wins the toss. More often, he would choose an option which would give the advantage to the opposition. Dhoni too seem to prefer to give a slight advantage to the opposition to bowl 2nd and apply a lot more pressure on the opposition chasing(which worked wonders in games against Pak and SA). But this being 50 overs, a few quick wickets could win or lose the game. Will he continue to be risky or will he take the safer route? 3. Will more and more new comers come into the side? Dravid seem to prefer the experienced cricketers like sehwag, Bhajji over Raina,Utahppa when all of them were failing.

[bharat297]

The thing is ... 1. The captain, im 99% sure doesnt have the power to choose the team, which is unfortunate. 2. Usually Dravid consulted with some of his players before his decisions. I expect Dhoni will do the same. I think we should be a bit fair to Dravid, the conditions in England during the ODI series were a bit misleading as it appeared there would be swing (with slightly humid overcast conditions) but it turned out that there wasnt great deal. 3. I think he mainly wanted Sehwag because of his record in pressure games. Sehwag made 82 in the world cup final in '03 and even in the game against the lankans he did make 54. But your right , there will be some changes in the Dhoni era