Agence France-Presse
Perth, Jan 11: Claiming to be short of a seamer all -rounder, Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said here Monday that he has no option but to field three fast bowlers and two spinners in the five-pronged attack for the first ODI cricket match against Australia, here Tuesday.
“Most likely it will be a 3-2 combination. We don’t really have a seaming all-rounder. Who the players are, we’ll have to wait and watch,” Dhoni said in the pre-match press conference.
Even though the Indian skipper did not rule out the option of blooding Barinder Sran, chances are that he will opt for all-rounder Gurkeerat Singh, who can bat at No. 6. Dhoni also had a message for the team’s younger lot about the next two and half weeks Down Under. “Treat every challenge as an opportunity and every opportunity as a challenge,” he said.
Dhoni also said that the players in his team will have to be flexible to ideas if they are to succeed in Australia. “Flexibility and adaptability are two key areas to achieve success in the ODIs. Teams that possess this quality will definitely be more successful than the others,” he asserted.
“If you see the success of the Indian team, we had quite a few players who could bat at different numbers and provide success at No 5, 6 and 7. “That flexibility and adaptability has to be there because you have to make the most of the overs according to the demands of the game. I don’t think giving a fixed slot really helps anyone,” Dhoni added.
The Indian skipper also asserted that he has never played keeping rankings in mind. India just need to win one match of the five-match ODI series to hold on to their No. 2 spot in the rankings.
“You do that an you will certainly falter,” said Dhoni. “If you play well rankings automatically are taken care of. So the first goal will be to play well,” asserted Dhoni.
Dhoni also made it clear that he had not decided on his batting order. “As of now I want to be a floating batsman and go out accoriding to the situation of the game,” said Dhoni. “As I stated earlier, my main idea is to remain flexible and play aggessive cricket. That will be our motto.”
