Press Trust of India
Auckland, March 11: His captaincy during the ICC World Cup has been praised by all and sundry, but Mahendra Singh insisted here Wednesday that the bowlers have played a major role in making him a commanding leader.
“I am best when the bowlers are bowling well,” Dhoni stated. “It makes the job slightly easy for me because you have a plan. But unless it is executed well by the bowlers it can’t make you look like a good captain. It all depends on execution. You may have two slips, but if the bowler bowls on the pads, it doesn’t really look good. The bowlers have made a difference in the World Cup for which I am being praised.
Dhoni insisted that the bowlers – pacers as well as spinners have bowled to a plan. “Line is different in any international game. If you stray all your plans will go awry,” pointed out the Indian skipper. “Thankfully in this event, the bowlers have more or less stuck to their line and field placings. That is why we have managed to create pressure and dismiss the opposition. I am sure they will learn from this experience.”
Dhoni has time and again spoken about the flexibility required from him as well as his players and that exactly has been the recipe for his team’s success in the event.
“As a captain you have got have Plan A, B and C ready. If one fails you go to the other. That is when flexibility comes into play,” the skipper asserted. “For example in the game against Ireland, the pacers went for runs early on. I could have brought the spinners from the fourth over. But I did not. I wanted them to adapt as I opted for a different plan.”
