‘Fresh’ Mahendra Singh Dhoni ready for India duty

MS Dhoni spent a hectic 45 days travelling, playing and eventually lifting the trophy as captain of Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 3.

The only ‘respite’ was a short injury break. However, the Team India skipper, who will now lead the Men in Blue at the World Twenty20 beginning on Friday, looked anything but tired and exhausted while addressing the media at a city hotel on Tuesday. Instead, he was smiling, laughing and looked all set to hop on to the plane for the side’s Caribbean sojourn.

“Fresh” was the word he frequently used whenever asked about the fatigue factor that may have bothered him or his India mates during and after a high-voltage IPL. “I don’t think freshness is an issue. Playing for the country is more important that playing in the IPL and that is enough to energise the boys. The good thing is that everyone is fit and looking forward to the tournament,” he said.

As far as the ‘gelling’ factor is concerned, he said, “We have to respect the schedule. We’ve regrouped after almost a month but it won’t be a problem as we play together throughout the year.”

Coach Gary Kirsten said the boys were all set to give their best shot. “We are looking forward to the tournament. We have to perform as a team and give it our best shot,” the South African said. “We have a good chance to win the title because there is a lot of talent in the team. But we have to play to our potential. Let’s just hope for the best,” Dhoni said on his team’s chances.

“Anything can happen in T20 cricket. The format of the game is such that you just can’t afford to relax. There will be no easy matches. Anyone can win it,” he added. “We have got the potential. Everybody will have to play with responsibility. None of the players are injured and that should help us. If the players are injured, then it becomes difficult to execute plans.”

Given that Caribbean wickets are quite similar to the ones in Indian, Dhoni felt bowling won’t be a problem and playing two specialist spinners won’t be necessary.

“We will have to see how the wicket is behaving, we will see it during a couple of practice sessions, the slowness and the pattern of the wicket. We will then decide on the number of spinners we need to play. We have bowlers in Yusuf (Pathan) and (Ravindra) Jadeja and they have done the job of specialist off-spinners. Bowling won’t be a real problem for us,” he added.

He also said that Yuvraj Singh’s form in the IPL is not a cause for concern. “Yuvraj is a great player. He is one of the biggest hitters and can contribute with the ball too. He did not score too many runs in the IPL but it is not a worry. In T20, you can get back to form in a matter of a few balls. He is hitting the ball well, it’s just that sometimes things do not go your way. He is a kind of player who loves to perform on the big stage.”