We batted superbly: Dhoni
First Published : 24 Sep 2012, 00:07
Last Modified : 24 Sep 2012, 00:07
Colombo, Sep 23: India go into the next round of the 2012 ICC World T20 on the back of a thumping victory over England. Although they had already qualified for the Super Eights, beating the defending champions with a huge margin will boost the confidence of the Men in Blue, especially since they rested some of the senior and regular players to give the rest a chance in this game. The response of the team was such that the skipper and management now have too many choices going into the next round.
Speaking after the match, India captain, MS Dhoni, discussed the team composition and elaborated on some of the choices he made today.
Excerpts:
On India’s performance
I think it was a fantastic performance. We rested a few key players, which meant that the boys [who were playing] needed to take up responsibility. We batted superbly. People might say that we slowed down a bit from 10 to 15 overs, but we were not really aiming too high. We were playing with five bowlers and I think they took up the responsibility. Initially they gave away a few runs, but what was good that we got a couple of wickets [at the same time] because it is important for us to get wickets with the new ball.
On opening with Irfan Pathan and leaving Virender Sehwag out of the playing XI
It was a difficult decision. We requested all the senior players [to sit the game out] because we felt we could try a few things in this particular game, especially so we would get to know what is the best combination and they all responded well. They all agreed and gave their go ahead. The reason why we opened with Irfan was because he is someone who is gutsy. He may not look very nice on the wicket but he takes up challenges like this and it meant that the middle order remains the same. The rest of us bat at the same number. Almost everyone batted at the same slot. That was a good thing for us and the response from the spinners was brilliant.
On whether he played two spinners because they were playing against England or because of the pitch
I think it was both. Our fast bowlers were not bowling really well. The reason could be the wickets or something; whatever it was, but we thought that we should go back to what our strength is. We rested [R] Ashwin for the same reason [as resting some of the senior players]. We all know he is one of the best bowlers that we have got when it comes to conditions here. We gave the spinners a fair chance and I think now we have a problem of plenty because both of them bowled really well.
On Rohit Sharma repaying the faith that was shown in him
It’s important [to show faith in players]. If the guys are responding, you can give them a few extra games. We all know he is a very talented player. Once you are under pressure and want to be a permanent part of the side, most of the time you get a bit desperate to perform and you don’t really enjoy the sport. But it is good to see that Rohit is giving himself a bit more time [in the middle], which means that once he is set, he can go after the bowlers. He is someone who can play all different kinds of strokes, right from the lap-shot to the pull shot, which he is very good at.
On whether it will be difficult to pick the next side
It is a difficult decision but we will have to see the interest of the team first and accordingly decide. Also, we can’t forget that all the players who missed in this particular game have won games for India single-handedly. So, it will be a difficult decision but we will choose the best side that will suit the conditions.
