MS Dhoni’s India face a test of character when they take on England in the first of the seven-match ODI series on Friday
RAJKOT: MS Dhoni & Co have proved that Australians are not invincible. But the real test of character of Team India and its new captain will begin now when the hosts face England in the first of the seven One-day Internationals at Madhavrao Scindia Stadium here on Friday.
Test and ODIs are different ball games no doubt but if the Men in Blue want to dislodge Australians from the top spot, they will have to quickly adapt to the demands of the shorter form of the game.
Skipper Dhoni, however, is confident that his team has the resources and the ability to beat England. “We have to adapt to the conditions quickly. The best part is half of the side was not part of the Test series, so they are still fresh and raring to go,” the Team India captain said. The fresh legs in the team are Yusuf Pathan, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma, the players who were not part of the Test squad. Even Gautam Gambhir, having missed the fourth and the final Test against Australia in Nagpur, has had some rest.
With in-form pacer Ishant Sharma out of contention for the opening encounter, Dhoni will expect Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel and Harbhajan Singh to put an extra effort. All three were seen putting in extra effort at the nets on Thursday. Another thing that brought smiles to the face of Dhoni was Youngistan not shying from any responsibility. “We have worked hard on our fielding and running between the wickets. But most importantly everyone is aware of their respective jobs,” the Indian skipper said.
For England, it will be the rebuilding time after their Stanford T20 and warm-up match losses. “We have been working harder for the last couple of weeks,” Kevin Pietersen, England captain said.
KP expressed confidence in team, and Ravi Bopara in particular. “He has impressed me a lot. These conditions are ideally suited for him,” he said after England’s playing XI was announced.
