PREVIEW::: NEW CHALLENGE FOR YOUNG STARS SAYS DHONI.... India will be playing their first Test series after the retirement of Sachin Tendulkar and it will be a tough challenge for them, going up against the Number 1 ranked Test team - South Africa. The Indian top order, in the absence of Tendulkar, lacks the experience but the captain of the top-ranked ODI side - Mahendra Singh Dhoni - said the the youngsters in the team have played a lot of limited-over matches, which will give them the confidence of doing well in the five-day version. Many of them have had good exposure - if not in Tests, then in ODIs. It is a new challenge for all of them and a new learning curve. It is always a challenge when you go outside, Dhoni said at a press conference India will play a three-match ODI series before the two-Test series in South Africa and Dhoni said playing the 50-over games first will give the players some time to adjust to the conditions. Its a contest between well positioned teams and it will be an interesting series. The ODI series will be played first so we will have some time to adjust, Dhoni said. (The bowlers will know) which length to bowl and to (will have time to) adjust to the bounce of the wickets. It is good to start with the ODIs. The batsmen can play their shots and express themselves and carry it into the Tests, Dhoni added. Asked who will perform the duties of the opener in the Tests in case of an injury to either Shikhar Dhawan or Murali Vijay, Dhoni surprised everyone by naming Gautam Gambhir, who is not part of the 17-member squad. Gautam is definitely the third opener that we are considering. As of now, Vijay and Shikhar, they have done really well for us, said Dhoni, while acknowledging the fact that Gambhir is not part of the squad. When asked who will replace Tendulkar at the number four position, Dhoni replied in a lighter vein: We are not decided on number 4. If possible we will omit the number 4. and try to bat 1, 2, 3, 5, 6... and 12. Indias bowling in the death overs has been a problem although they came up a better showing with the ball against West Indies when compared to the ODIs against Australia. Dhoni reckoned that the bowlers will have some help in the ODI matches against South Africa, considering the nature of the wickets. In different conditions the statistics would be different. There will be pace and bounce on offer for the fast bowlers. Along with the yorkers, they can use the bouncers and a bowl with a little bit of pace. So we will see how it goes, he said. In the last few matches it (the death bowling) has improved a lot but we are trying to see how to improve further, so that we dont give lot of runs in the last 10 overs. If you see our Champions Trophy performance and if you compare our death bowling you will see that it is a completely different scenario, the Indian captain said. When asked about Indias poor showing with the ball in the ODIs against Australia, Dhoni said: The ideal thing would be to compare how the Indian bowlers performed in the last 10 overs and how the Australian bowlers performed in the death overs in the same game. Then it becomes more realistic. Speaking about the series, which will be a battle between two top-ranked sides, Dhoni expected it to be an exciting contest. If you see, both teams are well positioned in the rankings. In ODIs it is us and in Tests it is they (who are placed on top). It is going to be an exciting and interesting series. The key is to get adjusted to conditions as early as possible, Dhoni said.
Posted on: Mon, 02 Dec 2013 15:51:17 +0000
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