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India strengthened by Dhoni, Yuvraj's return, feels Sunil Gavaskar
On the eve of the marquee clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan at Mirpur, former India skipper and NDTV expert Sunil Gavaskar feels Mahendra Singh Dhoni's return will boost India's chances in the ICC World Twenty20 championship. Dhoni had skipped the recently-held Asia Cup due to injury and the team was led by Virat Kohli.
Indian selectors also included T20 specialists Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina in the World Twenty20 squad. Both have shown signs of good form in the two warm-up matches India played in Bangladesh. "Dhoni's return will change India. Yuvraj and Raina are also back. It's a plus-plus for India after Asia Cup," Gavaskar told NDTV on Thursday.
Both Yuvraj and Dhoni had anchored India to their maiden T20 title in 2007. Ever since, India have failed to qualify to the knockout stages in three editions of the tournament. "It's India batting versus Pakistan bowling. It will be a humdinger and there will be no favourites," said former Indian wicket-keeper Farokh Engineer to NDTV. Gavaskar feels that Pakistan will have a slight edge in the shortest format of the game.
In their latest clash in the Asia Cup, Pakistan got the better of India, thanks to some final-over heroics by Shahid Afridi, who slammed two consecutive sixes to seal a win. Engineer felt that it is down to the Indian bowlers to tame the big-hitting Pakistan all-rounder.
"Shahid Afridi is a bit of a phenomenon. When he gets going, he is capable of murdering any bowling attack on his day. It's up to the India bowlers. They have to practice yorkers," Engineer said.
Ahead of the tournament in Bangladesh, MS Dhoni & Co. have the task of picking their best combination in both bowling and batting departments. Gavaskar suggested that India need to bank on experience.
"Three spinners and two new-ball bowlers is a good Indian combination versus Pakistan. Experience is needed and Stuart Binny will have to sit out," Gavaskar said.
In the top-order, Engineer does not expect too much tinkering. "I will continue with Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma as openers. Fielding will be key in T20," Engineer said.
Bowling has been India's Achilles heel in the recent past and both Gavaskar and Engineer expressed the need to bowl better in the death overs. Gavaskar said a leg-spinner could even win a match and backed the inclusion of Amit Mishra, not a Dhoni favourite.
"Amit Mishra is high on confidence after Asia Cup. Leg-spinners are not easy to score of. He will make a difference and can win a match," Gavaskar said.
Having being placed in a tough group, alongside Pakistan, Australia and West Indies, Gavaskar stressed on the importance of starting with a win. "Starting on a winning note is important. India is in a group of death and hence a win will lift team's morale," Gavaskar said.
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Raina and Yuvraj major boosts - Dhoni
Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh's performances in the practice matches were major boosts for India ahead of the World T20, MS Dhoni has said. Yuvraj was left out for the tour of New Zealand while Raina was dropped midway through that series. Both players were also ignored for the Asia Cup. While Dhoni pointed out bowling as the familiar area of concern, he said he was happy with what India had taken out of the warm-ups.
"Overall we have achieved a lot, especially through the practice games we wanted to give the guys who were not part of the Asia Cup a fair time in the middle and I was quite happy with the way Yuvraj and Raina performed," Dhoni said. "They batted well. Raina has also contributed with his bowling. Whatever we wanted to achieve from the practice games we have achieved that. It looks set but still there are quite a few areas where we will have to improve when it comes to a proper game because you won't really have the luxury of playing 15 players.
"The bowling department is still an area of concern if you compare it to our batting. Getting off to a good start, that is something that is really important for us. If we have wickets in hand we have seen in the past that we can score maybe 10-15 runs more than what can be a par score. In a short format like this, 10-15 runs really matter. Apart from that, the fielding has been good. Overall if we do well in the death bowling and bat well throughout we have a very good chance."
Three of the four fast bowlers in the India squad have never played a T20 international while Bhuvneshwar Kumar has featured in only three. Dhoni thought their exposure in the IPL would be of assistance, and said he wanted them to strike with the new ball. "If you talk about international T20s, our fast bowlers have not played much. But they have spent a lot of time in the IPL where the conditions are a bit similar so I think to some extent that will help.
"Overall when it comes to contribution, we would want them to bowl well with the new ball. If we can get one-two wickets with the new ball, it is considered a good start. Especially in this format if you keep getting regular wickets, the opposition is not able to score too freely. We will try to take wickets with the new ball and then they will come on and bowl the last few overs maybe, so not very different from what the job is for the fast bowlers for some of the other teams."
Dhoni said every match would be crucial to India's chances in the World T20, as they had failed to make the semi-finals of the previous edition in 2012 after losing just one match, to Australia. "What is important is to do well in each and every game. Last T20 World Cup we lost just one game in the qualifying round and were not able to make it to the knockout stages. Especially our group, it is a tough group. "
When asked how he would manage to focus on his own performance and that of his side amid the allegations against him swirling around in parts of the media back home, Dhoni said it was "part and parcel" of Indian cricket. "You have to keep your focus. Especially when you are part of the Indian cricket team, there are plenty of things that go around you so irrespective of whether you are doing well or not so well on the field, so I think it is a big part and parcel of Indian cricket. I think most of the players are quite used to it."
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