"India missing bowling, fielding coaches"

MS Dhoni said India is missing bowling and fielding coaches, resulting in an increased workload for chief coach Gary Kirsten.
Talking to reporters on the eve of the team's departure for the tri-series in Bangladesh, Dhoni said Kirsten had his plate full and the team was indeed missing bowling and fielding coaches.

"To some extent, it does (affect the team). You need specialist coach to get the best out of the players. Gary looks after so many things. He has all those team meetings, talking to batsmen, bowlers and then working out strategies.

He has a lot on his plate," Dhoni said.

"It does help to have specialist bowling and fielding coaches for the bowlers and fielders. But that's the way it and it's now an administrative issue," he said.

Both the posts are lying vacant since BCCI sacked bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad and fielding coach Robin Singh in October after the team fared badly in the Twenty20 World Cup in England and the Champions Trophy in South Africa.

Even though BCCI roped in Australian Mike Young for a short stint during the recent Twenty20 and ODI series against Sri Lanka, the team is now again without a fielding coach.

"Mike is not available for this tour. He came with the basic techniques and went slow as he did not want the players to get injured. He won't be around but with the help of other support staff it's important to go ahead with that. Fielding is one aspect of the game that is important whatever be the format of the game," Dhoni said.

Accepting the need to lift the team's fielding standard, Dhoni said, "We dropped quite a few catches in the last series. We will try to rectify that. Whatever good fielders we have we will try to make them the best in the world because it really helps, especially in the middle overs, with four good fielders inside the circle who can save the singles," he said.

Dhoni was also candid enough to admit that the bowlers were grappling with issues like bowling at death and slow over-rate, which incurred the India captain a two-match ban during the ODI series against the Lankans.

"We struggled early in the series but improved a lot in the later matches. We have struggled a bit in the death overs but if we can do something in patches, we can do it consistently as well. We can restrict any good side to a decent total. It's slightly improving but I think we can manage it," Dhoni said.

"Regarding over-rate, we have a lot of part-timers, who are mostly spinners and they can save us time. We have (Virender) Sehwag, Yuvraj (Singh), (Suresh) Raina and Rohit Sharma as well. So if we can save time up front, it is not going to be an issue," Dhoni explained.

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Dhoni banned for two ODI's

Indian captain MS Dhoni was banned for two one-day internationals for the team's slow over-rate during the second one-dayer against Sri Lanka.

The thrilling second one-dayer ended about 45 minutes after the scheduled finish time because of frequent discussions between the Indian players during the closing stages of Sri Lanka's chase, prompting the International Cricket Council to impose the ban on the Indian captain.

The decision to ban Dhoni was taken by match referee Jeff Crowe of New Zealand, considering the quantum of extra time the Indians took to complete their alloted overs.

Formal announcement from the ICC is expected soon.

It was still not known whether the two-match ban would come into effect immediately.

In case the ban comes into effect immediately, it will be a huge set-back for the Indians in the ongoing series with three matches still remaining to be played.

The five-match series is currently tied 1-1 after India won the first match in Rajkot by three runs, while the Sri Lankans snatched a thrilling three wicket victory in the second game here yesterday.

In the charismatic Dhoni's absence, opener Gautam Gambhir is likely to be named the captain for the two matches to be held in Cuttack on Dec 21 and in Kolkata on Dec 24.

The BCCI, however, has not made any official announcement yet on who will take over the captaincy in case Dhoni's ban comes into effect immediately.

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Dhoni: Inconsistency a concern

According to captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni India's inconsistent performance in Twenty20 is an area of concern.

Dhoni reckons the only way to improve in this format is to play more matches and adopt a different mindset.

"We have done well in Tests and one-dayers but our performance in Twenty20s has not been that good. You just play one game before a one-day series and that has not helped. It was disappointing the way we performed in the last Twenty20 World Cup. We have to improve", Dhoni told reporters.

"The problem of playing a Twenty20 game before a series is that you treat it as a preparation for the series, you think about the series and not the Twenty20. In the last match in Nagpur, we were outplayed", Dhoni said.

"Hopefully before the next World Cup we would get it right. We will have the third edition of the IPL before that which I think will help. IPL will give us the right preparation", he said.
Asked whether the Indians should play more Twenty20 matches instead of one-dayers to get into the groove, the Indian captain said, "We will play whatever is offered to us.

"If we play more Twenty20s, you will say we are not playing enough one-dayers. What is important is that there should not be an overdose."

Dhoni refused to blame the bowlers alone for the defeat against Sri Lanka in the first game in Nagpur, saying most of the middle order batsmen did not contribute much.

"Twenty20 is a batsman's game. The bowlers will go for runs as the batsmen look for runs. Just because some bowlers gave away lot of runs does not mean they are bad. It happens in Twenty20 and scores of over 200 runs are quite common nowadays", he explained.

"If we start worrying just because the bowlers did not ball well in one game, we will have to worry for the whole year," he quipped.

Dhoni reckoned the Mohali track would assist the pace bowlers to some extent while the batsmen will also be able to score freely.

"At this time of the year, there will be some swing. The Mohali pitch is known to have some pace, so I think it will help the fast bowlers", he said.

Asked whether dew will be a factor here, Dhoni said "I don't think dew will be a big factor. They will spray the chemical, so I think it should not be a problem."

On paceman Ishant Sharma's fine show in the initial overs during the last game in Nagpur, Dhoni said "Ishant is really bowling well. He is looking in rhythm and swinging the ball."

After lapses in Nagpur, Indians work hard on fielding

Looking to make up for their fielding lapses in Nagpur, the Indian team toiled hard with some new drills included in their practice session.

Eyeing to level the two-match Twenty20 series after paying a heavy price in the first match due to sloppy fielding, Dhoni's men devoted nearly an hour to improve this department of the game.
The newly appointed fielding consultant Mike Young worked with the team and made them do some interesting drills, which the players seemed to enjoy.

He called the players first in batches while some others were doing their batting practice session.

R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Dinesh Karthik were among those who were called first for the fielding practice by Young.

Later, others, including Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Yusuf Pathan, Ishant Sharma and Sudeep Tyagi, assembled for a larger fielding session.

To check the reflexes of his team members, Young made a special drill for them. He also made them practice with aerial catches and throwing at the wicket.

Later, while interacting with reporters at pre-match press conference, Dhoni re-iterated that his side was at the backfoot in the Nagpur game, which the islanders won by 29 runs, due to sloppy fielding.

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Dhoni rues lack of Test matches next year

Mumbai, Dec 6 (IANS) Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni says playing fewer Test matches next year is a concern as it means that maintaining their new status of world's top Test team will be tough.

India played only six Test matches this year and, according to the Future Tours Program (FTP), they are scheduled to play a two-match series in Bangladesh in January. After that India does not play any Test until October when New Zealand comes here for a three-match series.

This is the first time that India has achieved the coveted number one position in the Tests, only the third team after South Africa and Australia to surge to the top of the ladder since the Test Championship was introduced in May 2001.

'It is a bit of a concern as we play only two Test matches in the next six months. It will be tough for us to maintain this position,' Dhoni said after India beat Sri Lanka by an innings and 24 runs to claim the series 2-0 and also the No. 1 Test ranking.

Dhoni said he would like to play more Tests echoing Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.
'I can't do anything about the schedule. It is good to play Test cricket. But we are here to play whatever format of cricket we are asked to play.'

'We hardly get time for ourselves so there is no time to complain. We would rather celebrate the moment rather than think about what we should be doing next.'

Dhoni praised coach Gary Kirsten for his contribution to the team.
'It was a constant process for us,' Dhoni said.

'We were playing with the same team for a longer period and it helped. It is a result of good preparation and execution over the last 18-20 months.'

'I think the real tough task now is to maintain this performance. When we are pushed to the wall, we come out with some special performances.'

Dhoni said the way India dominated Sri Lanka in the series was terrific.
'It was a terrific performance. Every batsman, who got in, in this match did his job, especially Virender Sehwag. We had a big total and could put pressure with close-in fielders. Zaheer (Khan) is back in the rhythm and it was good to see the fast bowlers do well in India. Our fielding was good. I think we caught nearly everything that came our way,' he said.

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Dhoni fan club president in poll fray

Ranchi, Nov 16 (IANS) As president of the Mahendra Singh Dhoni fan club, he's probably officially the biggest fan of the Indian skipper. And with the bat as his election symbol he's all set to enter the poll fray for the Jharkhand assembly elections.

Jitendra Singh has filed his nomination from Hatia assembly constituency of Ranchi city as an independent candidate.

Singh had earlier laid the foundation stone for a temple in honour of Dhoni. The construction of the temple was halted after Dhoni's family objected.

Singh later announced that he would establish a museum in Dhoni's honour.
'Do not think I am trying to exploit Dhoni's popularity. I am a great fan of Dhoni but I am fighting the election as Jitendra Singh. It is a coincidence that my election symbol is a bat,' Singh said.

The poll for Hatia assembly seat will take place Nov 25.

The five-phased polls to the Jharkhand assembly will be held Nov 25-Dec 18 and the counting will take place Dec 23.

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We lost the game in first 15 minutes: Dhoni

Guwahati: Dejection written on his face after losing the ODI series to Australia, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said his team lost Sunday's do-or-die match in the first 15 minutes itself.

Dhoni's gamble to bat first on a tricky track boomeranged and the match virtually slipped out of their hand by nine overs when the home side was gasping for breath at 27 for five.

"During the toss I said that the first half hour will be crucial for us but the first 15 minutes proved more than enough," Dhoni said after the match.

"We lost quite a few wickets after that we never really were in the game," he explained.

With the win, Australia took an unassailable 4-2 lead in the series.

For Australia, pace duo of Doug Bollinger (5/35) and Mitchell Johnson 3/39) made merry on a wicket which offered generous movement even though Dhoni defended his decision to bat first and felt a score in the vicinity of 220 could have been enough.

"Of course there was a bit of movement in the wicket but overall I think the Australians bowled really well. We could have batted second looking at the conditions but then also it would have been tough because the spinners were getting great amount of turn. I think we were fortunate enough to score 170 as at one stage, 150 was looking tough. We fell short by 50-55 runs," Dhoni said.

The Indian captain said losing a couple of close games made all the difference in the series.

"The Mohali game followed by the Hyderabad game, we should have won both. In both the matches the Australians took the game away from us. A couple of mistakes we made in the field and we lost the games," he added.

His counterpart Ricky Ponting, meanwhile, lauded his team for their spirited display, especially after losing some of their key players to injuries and said it was a memorable series win for him.

"I couldn't be happier. (This is) probably one of the best series I have been involved with. It was heartening to see the boys gel as a group especially after so many injuries. The performance of the team in the last two games have been satisfying," an ecstatic Ponting said.

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We're not looking too far ahead: MS Dhoni

India are a loss away from just their third bilateral one-day series defeat since 2006, but MS Dhoni was not letting the pressure get to him. India surrendered a 3-2 series lead in Hyderabad, where they fell three runs short of a target of 351, to arrive in Guwahati needing to win to prevent their first bilateral series defeat since Australia toured two years ago.

"It [the Hyderabad loss] was hurting and disappointing. But we have left everything in the dressing room," said Dhoni. "We have two more games to go and that's what count now. Whatever has happened has happened. You cannot change much about it. It's important to concentrate on what lies ahead and stay fresh mentally.

"Every game was a pressure game in the series and the remaining two games also. Our first priority is to be in the series, so we have to win the next game and not looking too far ahead."

India's middle order has not produced a lot of runs over the last two matches and that was a major factor in their current series position. As he most always does, Dhoni patted back criticism of two bad outings from the middle order, himself included. "We rely on a good start but every now and then your openers don't score and the pressure comes to the middle order," said Dhoni. "This is one of the series where the middle order has not performed consistently.

"It's not a worrying thing. But of course it's good if we get a good start so that the middle order and lower order capitalise on that."

The young allrounder Ravindra Jadeja has bowled decently in the series as support to Harbhajan Singh but has not done much with bat, prompting questions of his viability in the side. Yet without an alternative allrounder option in the squad Dhoni backed Jadeja to perform. "He is doing well but when it comes to selection, we don't speak too much about it," he said. "But every individual, if he is doing well he deserves a chance to be in the side. Jadeja is bowling well, as series goes he will turn up more as a batsman."

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Dhoni: Jadeja will learn from mistakes

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has backed all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, saying he would learn from his mistakes.

The dismissal of Jadeja, who was chasing a non-existent single at a crucial moment in the fifth match in Hyderabad, dashed India's hopes as the home team lost by three runs to Australia on Thursday.

Incidentally, Jadeja was also dismissed in a similar fashion in the fourth one-dayer at Mohali, where the hosts suffered a 24-run defeat on November 2.

"He (Jadeja) has been bowling well in the series and with more and more matches, we will see him more as a batsman.

"Jadeja is learning from his mistakes," Dhoni said after the team's training session at the Nehru Stadium in Guwahati.

Jadeja, who has bagged six wickets in the seven-match series so far, also received some special attention from coach Gary Kirsten as the South African spent more than half-an-hour with the Saurashtra all-rounder explaining batting techniques.

Special attention was also given to Amit Mishra with Sachin Tendulkar advising the leg-spinner personally on a day when dashing opener Virender Sehwag opted out of the practice session.

On a seemingly bowling-wicket at Nehru Stadium on Sunday, Mishra is likely to replace paceman Munaf Patel, who had conceded 73 runs from nine overs without any success in Hyderabad.

"It has always been the case, I don't announce the playing XI," Dhoni, however, said.
There were also some big hits from Harbhajan Singh who batted close to 15 minutes during the net session with Praveen Kumar, Mishra, Tendulkar and Sudeep Tyagi giving him practice, while the regular batsmen preferred to take rest.

"There was no particular reason behind this. We wanted to give the guys some rest and the lower order batted," Dhoni said.

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India lost the mental battle - Dhoni

After a close, emotional three-run defeat to Australia in Hyderabad, MS Dhoni said that India lost the mental battle, falling at the last hurdle. "You work so hard to get to a well, but then you have to drink the water yourself," he said. "We came very close, but the one last effort that we needed as a team we couldn't put in.

"I don't think it was the talent part. I think it was the mental part, where you know you can play a big shot and you back yourself to do that," Dhoni said. "At times you just go through the motions, you don't know if such a shot is needed or not."

Dhoni rued three dropped chances and a lack of experience in the bowling line-up. Shaun Marsh, who was put down on 29 and on 51, went on to get a maiden century, while Shane Watson's drop cost India just three runs. "We dropped three catches. One of them was tough," Dhoni said. "We lost too many wickets in the middle order. Myself, Gauti [Gautam Gambhir], Yuvraj [Singh], we got out pretty quickly. We could have done better. Though it was a very good track to bat, you still need a serious effort to get close to 350. If we had stopped them to 330 or 325, we would have had a better chance.

"I am not saying they could have kept them to 270, but even if they could have kept them down to 320, it would have been a completely different game. On these wickets, when there is no seam or swing, experience comes in."

It was all left to Sachin Tendulkar to chase down the target and he almost carried India home with an imperious 141-ball 175. He fell with India needing 19 runs off the last 17 balls, but the last three wickets couldn't manage that. Dhoni said the team believed Praveen Kumar could pull off the chase even as they were in the middle of a choke.

"Till the last wicket fell, we had hope. Of course it was disheartening. He [Tendulkar] made such a big effort. Such a big score. He was the one man who kept us in the game. We would have loved to see him hit the winning runs. But that was not to be."

Dhoni had words of comfort for Ravindra Jadeja, who for the second night in a row got himself run out in a crucial situation. "He is a youngster, don't take that away from him," Dhoni said. "When he plays more and more games, he will learn. It is tough, but he shouldn't be pointed out. He is doing the job for us. He is bowling well, he is a great fielder. He is learning the art of batting at this level. As long as he keeps learning from every game, it is fine."

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Dhoni hails Sachin's heroics

MS Dhoni said had it not been for Sachin Tendulkar's 175, the hosts would have never come so close to a sensational victory against Australia.
Dhoni took the positives from the heart-breaking three-run loss in the fifth one-dayer and said without Tendulkar's heroic 141-ball innings, it would not have been possible to come so close to the mammoth 351 run target set by Australia.

"Three or four of our top batsmen did not score but still we came close to the target. Sachin Tendulkar played very well and he was one man who brought us close to a win. But even after he left we did not lose hopes till the end," said Dhoni about Tendulkar's fabulous knock which was studded with 19 fours and four sixes.

Dhoni said though this was a special innings from the champion batsman, his personal favourite was the Desert Storm in Sharjah against Australia in April 1998.

"It was a pleasure to see him batting so well. All his centuries have been special and this too. But I am still a big fan of his desert storm (innings)," he said.

Dhoni was also of the view that India lost the mental aspect of the game and not the cricketing part.

"We lost the mental aspect and not the cricketing part of the match. Chasing 350 was always going to be difficult even on this wicket which played very well," he said after India lost a heart-stopper to Australia to give the visitors a 2-3 lead in the seven-match series.

Dhoni felt that though the conditions were ideal for batting, his bowlers gave away 20-30 runs extra on the placid Rajiv Gandhi International stadium wicket.

"We always knew the wicket was going to play good but the pressure of chasing 350 was high. It would have been easier had our bowlers done something extra to restrict the score to 325 or 330. I am not saying they should have stopped them at 270," said the wicketkeeper batsman, who had a poor outing with both the bat and behind the wicket.

The India skipper refused to believe that his side would be under extra pressure in the next game at Guwahati on Sunday.

"Every game is a pressure game. There will always be pressure," he said.

Dhoni also lavished praise on the Australian batsmen for their superb show but said the three dropped chances cost his team dear.

"We dropped three catches which proved to be costly," he said about the chances given to Shaun Marsh (twice) and Shane Watson (once).

Marsh was dropped on 29 and 51 while Watsom was let off on 90. Marsh made 112, his debut ODI hundred and Watson went on to score 93 and also took three wickets.

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MS Dhoni wants top order to fire

Indian captain MS Dhoni has asked his top order batsmen to fire if India are to take a lead in the ODI series, which now stands at 2-2 with three matches to play. Dhoni blamed the defeat in the third ODI in Mohali on a collective failure of the top order after the bowlers did well to restrict Australia to 250 on a good batting track.

India began briskly in their chase and were in the game till the 24th over at 113 for 3, before Yuvraj Singh was run out off a direct hit by Ricky Ponting. Dhoni was the fifth wicket to fall, for 26, and his dismissal left a lot of responsibility on the lower order.

"Top order batsmen need to bat well and not rely on the lower order," Dhoni said on the eve of the fifth game in Hyderabad. "If you are playing with seven batsmen, it's better to get a big score from six of them rather than use the seventh, who we call as a backup batsman, especially when you are chasing.

"If one among the top order gets a big score it becomes easy for us as the others can rotate around him. If we have a good start we can get on to a big score so as to dictate terms and play according to your pace."

Dhoni justified Ravindra Jadeja's position at No.7 and insisted that he was in the team as a bowling allrounder. Jadeja bowled seven overs for 27 but scored only 7 as the pressure mounted in the chase.

"He's (Jadeja) filling in the space of bowling allrounder. He's bowling really well," Dhoni said. "His batting is also important. Batting at No.7 is not about getting big fifties or 70s. It's about scoring quickly. And if we are batting second and if we lose wickets every batsman is needed to score extra runs on the board."

Dhoni, however, was happy with the way his bowlers had performed. They conceded only 27 runs and took four wickets in the batting Powerplay, which Australia took in the 44th over. They also didn't allow Australia to get off to a flier in the chase of 355 in Nagpur.

"The last couple of games Harbhajan [Singh] had bowled really well," Dhoni said. "I can't complain much. The (new ball) bowlers have always gotten off to a good start.

"Ashish Nehra has been the pick. Praveen [Kumar] has also done well. Ishant Sharma had a couple of off games for him. He's done well in a couple of them. Last game, he got targeted a bit. I'm quite happy with the performance of the bowlers overall."

With the business end of the series virtually reduced to a three-match contest, Dhoni warned his team against taking their foot off the pedal.

"Now we can see it as a three-game series. Every game is important now. It's important not to have an off day. As the number of games gets reduced there's no time to recover."

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Yuvraj, Dhoni win it for India

India romped home by six wickets against Australia in the third ODI after brilliant knocks by skipper MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh.

Moises Henriques picked up his maiden ODI wicket on debut, getting rid of Yuvraj Singh, who perished for a fabulous 78.

Dhoni continued his good form with another ODI fifty as India inched towards a victory against Australia.

Yuvraj Singh stormed away to his half-century as India started to turn the heat on Australia.

Dhoni and Yuvraj stitched up a gutsy partnership to help India find a footing after Australia picked up three quick wickets.

Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir are back in the hut.

Mitchell Johnson knocked off Virender Sehwag's middle stump to give Australia the first breakthrough.

Sachin Tendulkar after looking in great touch for most part of his 47 ball 32.

Australia are 229 for five

Brilliant half centuries by Michael Hussey and skipper Ricky Ponting helped Australia post a challenging total against India on a turning wicket in Delhi.

Ravinder Jadeja snapped up debutant Moises Henriques to claim his second wicket of the match.

Harbhajan Singh picked up his first one of the match when Adam Voges lost his patience and consequently his wicket, holding out to Praveen Kumar in the deep.
Michael Hussey brought up his third ODI fifty after battling hard in trying batting conditions in Delhi.

Suresh Raina was perhaps lucky to get Cameron White, who did not seem to edge the ball before MS Dhoni pouched it up.

Ravinder Jadeja struck a lethal blow on Australia, claiming skipper Ricky Ponting, who perished for a well made 59.

Ponting played a captain's knock for Australia, bringing up yet another ODI fifty on a wicket that has been tough to bat on.

Yuvraj Singh struck in his first over to lure Aussie opener Shane Watson out of his crease as MS Dhoni whipped the bails off in a flash.

Watson and Ricky Ponting had started to accelerate for Australia after a slow but steady start to the innings in Delhi.

India's new ball bowlers kept a tight leash on Australia's opening pair, who looked solid despite a difficult track.

The Toss

Australia have won the toss and opted to bat against India in the third one-dayer of the seven-match ODI series.

Buoyed by their emphatic victory in the last game, a confident India will seek to keep the momentum going in the third ODI.

India would be hoping to exploit a slow and low track.

With the seven-match series tied 1-1, both the teams will be keen to regain the initiative in what promises to be a thrilling floodlit contest at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground.

While the Indians looked a confident lot, the Aussies have a few problems to sort out, particularly in their bowling department with pace spearhead Brett Lee ruled out of the series because of an elbow injury.

The spate of injuries to some of their key players has weakened the World Champions to some extent and a depleted bowling attack have only compounded their misery.

Teams:
India: SR Tendulkar, V Sehwag, G Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, SK Raina, MS Dhoni*†, RA Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, A Nehra, P Kumar, I Sharma.

Australia: SR Watson, RT Ponting*, CL White, MEK Hussey, AC Voges, MC Henriques, MG Johnson, GA Manou†, NM Hauritz, PM Siddle, DE Bollinger.

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"Dhoni has no place up in top order"

With the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh in the Indian ranks, Dhoni had said it was natural he should bat at number five and Gavaskar agreed with it.

"I think he (Dhoni) has no place in the top order. You have Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar at the top and Gautam Gambhir comes next. Yuvraj Singh is at his best at number four and so Dhoni comes after him," Gavaskar said here.

"The important thing about the debate was good players should face more overs and he (Dhoni) was batting as a floater for some time. And I think he will bat according to the situation," he said on the sidelines of the 'Hindustan Times Leadership Summit'.
Gavaskar also felt that former captain Rahul Dravid got the axe in the one-day series against Australia as he had got into the Sri Lanka and Champions Trophy squad as cover for Sehwag, who was injured then.

"Dravid was in the Champions Trophy squad as a cover for Sehwag as the selectors wanted a senior player as replacement.

Once Sehwag recovered the selectors dropped him. Moreover, Yuvraj, who was injured in South Africa before the Champions Trophy, also recovered and Dravid had no place in the team," he added.

Gavaskar also lauded Sachin Tendulkar, who would complete 20 years of international cricket next month, for his commitment to the game.

"It is a tremendous achievement to be able to play for 20 years consistently. Even after 20 years he is still child at heart. He has still got the enthusiasm of a child and is still hungry to perform after playing for so many years," he said.

New Zealand fast bowling great Sir Richard Hadlee felt the hallmark of a great player was how he performed abroad and how fast he comes out of a lean patch, and Tendulkar was excellent on both counts.

"Tendulkar has performed in every conditions. He has been done well abroad and scored runs against all countries.

Moreover, he has come out of lean patches faster than any average player. That is the hallmark of a player's greatness," he said.

Former captain Ravi Shastri said it was a tribute to Tendulkar's greatness that he would last 20 years and would maintain top form in all these years.

"It is a tribute to his greatness, to his fitness and skills that he would last 20 long years and still maintains top form. He will go down in history as one of the greatest players," said Shastri.

Gavaskar rated Tendulkar's hundred in Perth in 1991 in his first tour of Australia and the century to win the Test against England in Chennai last year as his best innings.

"In Perth he was facing the fearsome Australian pace attack for the first time in his career on a pacy and bouncy Perth pitch and he never had any difficulty while scoring his hundred though India lost the match. There he showed he would dominate world cricket," Gavaskar said.

"He won the Test in Chennai on a spinning track against England who have two good spinners in Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann. Chasing 300 to win was not easy but he made it happen.

The Perth century and another Chennai masterpiece against Australia were Shastri's pick.

"He destroyed Mark Taylor's Australia by belting Shane Warne to submission. Warne was round the wicket and turning the ball by bowling on the rough but Tendulkar played amazing attacking cricket belting two sixes over mid-wicket," he said.

Earlier, during a discussion session on "Is cricket as we knew it, dead?", Gavaskar, Shastri and Hadlee called for a balance in the three formats of the game so that Test cricket is preserved as the pinnacle of the game.

All of them pinned hopes on the Future Tours Programme after 2012 that the number of Tests will be increased while the ODIs will be reduced.

"The current volume of cricket will continue till 2012.

After that I think more Tests will be played. For example, India and Australia series may be made icon series like that of Ashes. That will five-match series," Gavaskar said.

Shastri said he was against an overkill of any one format and wants to fix minimum number of Test matches a country should play in a year while reducing number of ODIs.
All of them felt that the seven-match ODIs series should be done away with and replaced by five games.

Gavaskar and Shastri were not worried by the explosion of Twenty20 cricket and even predicted more of the shortest format in the years to come. They also felt Indian Premier League of Champions League Twenty20 would only energise cricket.

"When one-day cricket came into being people felt Test cricket will be overshadowed but it never happened. Test cricket remained the pinnacle and it will remain so. There is space for all the formats. The only thing for administrators is how to balance them and not to make overkill of one over the other," Shastri said.
"Of course, the lure of money may alter the priority of young players but a youngster should first think of playing for the country first before being lured by the big money," he added.

Gavaskar urged the administrators to take the positives of Twenty20 cricket like the IPL.

"The one-dayers energise Test cricket. Just like that Twenty20 cricket has energised one-dayers. The par score for one-dayers are no longer 250 it is now 300. If you don't reach 290 or 300 it is not a safe score now. Moreover a whole lot of new shots are being innovated. That is the plus point of Twenty20.

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Dhoni not concerned with Bhajji's form

Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh is not at his best but the team is not losing sleep over his form, Mahendra Singh Dhoni said today.

On the eve of India's third ODI against Australia, Dhoni threw his weight behind Harbhajan, who has been lacklustre with the ball of late.

"For sure, he is not at his best," Dhoni told reporters after the practice sessions.
"But considering the kind of player he is, for someone who loves challenges, I think he is just one game away from bouncing back.

"We are not worried about players who have so much of international experience," Dhoni said.

His assertions notwithstanding, the India captain had a long session with Harbhajan in the nets where the off-spinner was asked to pitch his deliveries on a stump placed at the good length area.

Subsequently, Harbhajan was seen bowling to a single wicket with Virender Sehwag facing him.

Dhoni said it was a regular kind of practice.

"It's a simple practice, which we often do with bowlers bowling to a single wicket," he said.

While all the Indian players sweated out in the two-hour practice session, Ashish Nehra stayed away from action, playing football and doing stretching instead.
Dhoni, however, assured there was no issue with the left-arm pacer's fitness.
"This was an optional session. It's a long seven-match series and if an individual wants rest, it's fine. He wanted rest and so did not take part," Dhoni said.
Tomorrow's match could also see Sachin Tendulkar reaching the 17,000 ODI runs -- he is just 79 runs away from the mark -- and Dhoni said it would be a momentous occasion.

"It would be a milestone indeed. He is such a great batsman. Whenever he walks out, we all expect big scores. He not only scores himself but also guides his partner," Dhoni said.

Tendulkar, like Harbhajan, has not been at his best either and one notion is that the senior batsman should allow the Delhi duo of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir to open the innings and come down at number three.

Dhoni, however, said he was fine with Tendulkar and Sehwag opening.

"I'm happy with the opening pair," he said.

Dhoni was also happy in his floater's role in the batting order, saying he was not in favour of unnecessary tinkering, especially when the team was doing well.
"Every individual has a different role and I'm doing well in the floater's role. Tendulkar and Sehwag opening the innings, Gautam (Gambhir) at number three -- all are doing well in their respective roles. (There is) no need to change when the team is doing well," he explained.

Dhoni was sensational in the previous match in Nagpur where his swashbuckling century fashioned India's emphatic 99-run win over the visitors.

Asked to rank the innings among his tons, Dhoni said, "It's difficult to rank since I have got just five centuries.

But it was special of course.

"We needed to maintain a good run rate and I'm excited about running between wickets there. I was batting with Gautam after a long time and we converted one or one-and-half into twos in such a big field," he said.

According to him, the win in Nagpur has brought back momentum but the team needed to see every match as a fresh challenge.

"First match we lost because we didn't bat or bowl well.

But we took the positives from that match, like Praveen Kumar and Harbhajan's batting. The second match we won, bowling and batting much better while our fielding also looked much improved.

"But we have to start from scratch in every game. Two matches gone, now it has become a five-match series for us and though win brings in confidence, we have to start afresh," he said.

On the Ferozeshah Kotla track, Dhoni predicted ball would keep low and it would not be a run-feast tomorrow.

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Dhoni stars in India's victory

India register a comfortable 99-run victory over Australia in the second ODI to square the series 1-1.

Australia lost Tim Paine and Shane Watson early, chasing a massive target of 355 runs against India.

Captain Ricky Ponting also failed to sustain for long and departed cheaply.

Therafter, Cameron White and Michael Hussey tried to consolidate the innings but they could not accelerate the run-rate.

Harbhajan Singh then sent back White for 23 off 42 balls.

Hussey, however, continued to play his shots well and completed his half-century to give Australia some hope.

Hussey departed after scoring a fine half-century as Ravindra Jadeja claimed his wicket.

Aussies kept losing wickets at regular intervals and then it was just a matter of time before the tourists' innings folded for 255 in 48.3 overs.

Earlier, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni blazed his way to his first ODI century in more than a year and also cobbled two century stands to power India to a record total of 354 for six against Australia in the second one-dayer on Wednesday.

Dhoni completed his century in only 94 balls, studded with two sixes and seven fours, as he simply tore the visiting team's attack to shreds on a good batting track after India were asked to bat first by Australia captain Ricky Ponting in the day-nighter.

The Indian captain was finally out for 124, after hitting his fifth century in 147 ODIs, which helped the home team easily overhaul the previous highest -- 309 for five -- against Australia raised in Kochi in April, 1998. He faced 107 balls and smashed three sixes and nine fours.

Dhoni, who came to the crease when India were struggling at 97 for three in the 16th over, first consolidated the home team innings with Gautam Gambhir (76 in 80 balls) by running the singles and twos well and then opened up in the slog overs in the company of another left hander Suresh Raina (62 off 50 balls).

After Virender Sehwag made a quick-fire 40 off only 31 balls, Dhoni, whose last century (109 not out) was against lowly Hong Kong in June 2008 in the Asia Cup tie in Karachi, and Gambhir (76) laid the platform with a stand of 119 runs for the fourth wicket in only 113 balls.

The Australian bowlers felt the full fury of Dhoni's blade after Gambhir was run out just before the mandatory change of ball.

Dhoni joined forces with another left-hander Raina, who struck one six and six fours, to simply tear the Aussie attack to ribbons with a partnership of 136 in only 96 balls.

Gambhir, who faced 80 balls and hit six fours, was run-out at non-striker's end by backing up too much just when he was poised to up the tempo in the company of his captain.

The task was then left to Dhoni and Raina to keep up the momentum. The fifth wicket pair utilised the batting Power Play, taken between 40th and 44th overs, to add 39 runs, with the India captain in full flow with his bottom-handed shots against the Aussie pacemen Peter Siddle and Mitchell Johnson.

Australia conceded as many as 116 runs in the last eleven overs from the time India's batting Power Play ended.

Earlier, India began their innings in spectacular style with Sehwag taking a particular fancy for the swing bowling of inexperienced Tasmanian Ben Hilfenhaus.
Sehwag spanked the second ball he faced in the match from the 27-year-old rookie, playing only his 14th ODI and first in the subcontinent, to the covers and then square-drove the bowler off the backfoot for another four to set the tone.

Sachin Tendulkar (4) worked Peter Siddle off his toes for a four but was dismissed stretching out to a ball that was bowled wide of the stumps by the bowler in his next over and edged it to the slip cordon. He had got out driving a wide ball in the first ODI at Vadodara.

Tendulkar's departure brought in Gambhir, India's top-scorer in the first ODI, and the Delhi pair kept the scoring rate above six-run mark with attacking shots.

Sehwag lofted Johnson, who passed a fitness test to play in the match after an ankle-injury scare, for a straight six.

The Delhi batsman, however, fell to the left-arm pacer as he mistimed a lofted shot to haul out to Hilfenhaus. His 40 came off 31 balls and included six fours and a six.

Yuvraj Singh, who came in for Sehwag, showed no uneasy signs of playing his first match since mid-September, and timed the ball beautifully in making a quickfire 23 with two fours and a six before being brilliantly caught and bowled by Hilfenhaus when he could not keep down a straight drive.

India lost three top-order batsmen just in sight of 100 on the board and in the 16th over. It called for some diligent batting from Gambhir and the Delhi batsman curbed his attacking instincts to play the sheet-anchor role for the second match running.

Gambhir and Dhoni ran their singles and twos very well and completed their individual half centuries in similar fashion, off 55 balls.

The Indian duo's three-figure partnership laid the ideal platform for the later assault by the Indian skipper in the company of Raina.

For Australia, Peter Siddle was the pick of the bowlers with his pace and effective use of the short ball in his earlier spell before he too was carted around by Dhoni and Raina.

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Dhoni rules out batting up the order

MS Dhoni ruled out the possibility of batting up the order, saying there is no vacant slot for him in top four positions.

"It's a difficult choice to make. We have Viru (Virender Sehwag) and Sachin (Tendulkar) opening the innings, Gauti (Gautam Gambhir) at no. 3 and Yuvraj at no 4. The next slot available is no. 5," Indian skipper Dhoni said ahead of the second one-dayer against Australia on Wednesday.

"I float at times and bat at different slots. More often than not we have a fixed batting line when it comes to these four guys playing the game. If there are more off spinners in the attack we may shift Yuvraj to no. 5 and we have done that.
"But to say I have to bat every time at no. 3 or 4 is difficult for me (to do)," he said.

Earlier in the day, former Australia wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist said that he would like to see Dhoni bat up the order, which would enable him to play as many overs as possible.

Dhoni also said that death bowling continues to remain a major concern for him and would like to see his bowlers conceding lesser runs in the final overs.

"It's been a worrying thing for us for the past few months. We had not been great with out death bowling. If you see the last game, the first few overs and 42nd over onwards - it was good and in the 50th we gave away one run", he said.

"In between there was a span of four overs when we gave away 50-52 runs. If we can bring that down, say by two to five runs it can count at the end," the wicketkeeper batsman said.

"Looks like a good wicket"

The India skipper also said that he was not too concerned about injury scares of the visitors, who will miss James Hopes, Brett Lee and possibly Mitchell Johnson in Wednesday's encounter.

"When we came for the practice sessions, we had a few areas we needed to work on. We concentrated on that. We are quite specific with death bowling and new ball bowling. We are concentrating on areas that can affect us in a direct way.

"(Am) Not really worried about that (their injuries). They have a squad of 15," he said.

The Indian captain said the team would have a look at the amount of dew fall on Tuesday night and decide on the composition of the side for Wednesday's tie.

"Looks like a good wicket. There is a little bit of grass cover that will help in binding the wicket. I don't see too much of a change in the condition of the wicket (through the match). Dew will be a factor, but (by) how much we will see at 8.30 tonight and accordingly decide (on the team composition)," he said.

Dhoni also backed out-of-form Harbhajan Singh and said he has the full support of the team and was confident that the off-spinner would bounce back strongly.
"We have confidence in Bhajj"

"He's an experienced bowler. He's not bowling at his best but is still bowling well. Everyone goes through such a patch. The kind of individual he is, he always bounces back and loves changes.

"We have confidence in him. He's batting well but we would like to see him bowling better than what he's doing but we are not too much worried about that," he said.
He welcomed Yuvraj Singh's return to the squad after recovering from the finger injury sustained in South Africa just before the commencement of the Champions Trophy and pointed out that the left-hander offers him the choice of an extra part-time bowler in the playing eleven.

"Yuvi has been the backbone of our batting at no 4. It's an important slot, as important as no. 3 is. Especially with the second Power Play coming in, you have some time to settle down once the ball change happens after the 34th over. More often than not you take it as soon as it's available if you are batting first," Dhoni said.
"It is of great help if you have an individual like Yuvraj who can capitalise on that.

"His bowling too helps as you have one more part-timer who has been bowling well. We have lost the luxury of three or four part time bowlers because of injuries and a few players going out of the side. With Yuvraj there's the luxury of three. If one has an off day you have others to fall back on," he said.

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Dhoni all praise for Ishant

Ishant Sharma has come in for praise from skipper MS Dhoni after his impressive performance in the first ODI in Vodadara.

India pacer Ishant Sharma has struggled for form since his fine show in Australia last year.

Dhoni felt the Delhi youngster's performance against Australia in the opening ODI on Sunday was an indication that he was on his way back to form.

"I thought Ishant bowled really well and hit right areas. If he is bowling well his speed automatically goes up. That's when you know he's bowling in right rhythm and is in the right frame of mind," Dhoni remarked after the match.

Ishant returned with figures of 3 for 50 in 10 overs and seemed to hit the deck hard and looked in good rhythm after a couple of overs in his first spell. He was spanked for a few fours in his second spell before settling down again. He accounted for Tim Paine in his first spell and returned in slog overs to dismiss Mike Hussey and Brett Lee.

Dhoni said the gangling fast bowler was a bit low on confidence since it was difficult for the youngster to face failure after tasting success at such a young age.

But, Dhoni also pointed out that Ishant needed support from everyone and that's what his teammates in the Indian squad were doing to help him come out of the rut.

"He's a bit low on confidence and that happens when you are 21 and have always seen success. So it's difficult to deal with failure. When somebody is not doing well, we as friends and teammates want to back him," he said.

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Batsmen need to perform:Dhoni

Vadodra, Oct 25 (IANS) India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni blamed his batsmen for their four-run loss to Australia in the opening One-Day International cricket match, but said they will bounce back in the seven-match series.

Chasing 293, India were struggling at 201 for seven, before an inspiring batting effort from Harbhajan Singh and Praveen Kumar brought them within inches of victory. The two added 84 runs for the eighth wicket.

'It was a target which we should have achieved. But we were four wickets down by the powerplay. But thanks to Harbhajan and Praveen, they made the match interesting,' Dhoni said.

'We have to work a bit on our bowling but our batsmen need to bat. Chasing 293, it is not possible to win with only one batsman scoring 50. We have an experienced batting line-up and it will bounce back.'

'Ideally, we would have liked to chase a target of around 270, the track becomes slower as the match progresses. It's a seven-match series and there's going to be ups and downs.'

Australian skipper Ricky Ponting said it was good toss to win.

'Barring the six-seven overs towards the end, it was a fine performance. We started well and then put the pressure on them while bowling,' Ponting said.

'Harbhajan and Praveen definitely brought India close, it was a good match overall.'
Man-of-the-match David Hussey, who struck 73 off 54 balls, said: 'It is a good fun out there. I enjoyed my partnership with Cameron White. We had a good start, thanks to Ponting and Time Paine. We needed a partnership and we tried to add as many runs as possible from the powerplay.'

'It's a good batting track, but at the same time difficult ground to defend. The crowd was fantastic.'

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"It’ll get tough for MSD from now on"

In India as an expert commentator for the inaugural Airtel Champions League Twenty20, White Lightning Allan Donald was equally eager to talk about the upcoming series between India and Australia. He spoke at length on several issues. Excerpts:

On India versus Australia: For me, Australia go in as the favourites because they have had some outstanding 50-over results coming into this series. The Aussies beat England comprehensively after an Ashes defeat and then went on to win the Champions Trophy in an emphatic fashion. India on the other hand will face the heat, especially after what happened in the Champions Trophy. Again the fact that the favourites tag lies with Australia might just suit India, but they haven’t played a lot of competitive 50-over cricket in recent times and that might just work against them. As far as the visitors are concerned, Ponting will make sure that his boys concentrate on their jobs and not on India.

On Indian fast bowlers and Ishant Sharma: I don’t know what his form is of late but am aware that a lot is being talked about him. The Australians for sure will target him. They will definitely try to put him under pressure. It’s a massive series not only for Ishant but for the entire Indian attack. How motivated they are as a lot could well be the telling factor as far as India’s fortunes are concerned. The bowlers set the tone, the culture, in a high-profile series; their bowling tends to lift the momentum and for me, if India is to do well in this series, the bowlers will have to deliver.

On Australia’s transition phase: The cricketing world heaved a sigh of relief after the likes of McGrath, Warne, Hayden, Langer and Gilchrist called it a day. For me, the cricketing world had been waiting for a long time to get back at Australia but the Aussies have coped really well. They have won the Champions Trophy and also beat England with ease. If you have to survive the rigours of international cricket, then you have to win consistently and Tim Nielsen along with Ponting have set the ball rolling but ask them about their ODI success and they will say that it means nothing to them. They desperately want to regain the Ashes and trust me, once the England team sets foot on Aussie soil for the next Ashes, it will be payback time. The Australians have always had the depth and reservoir to produce quality players. Guys like Siddle, Hilfenhaus and Mitchell Johnson are prime examples.

On Dhoni as captain: I don’t know much about Dhoni but what I have seen of him, he comes across as an extremely calm character and that is one of the key qualities of a leader. Within months of becoming a captain one could sense that Dhoni had the respect of his fellow mates and that is also extremely vital but slowly things are getting difficult for him. From now on, time will tell what he is made out of. I just hope Dhoni isn’t made a scapegoat as and when the ride turns rough.

On next generation Indian batsmen: India have always had an abundance of talent. The cupboard is never empty but the key to their success lies in what they have picked up from the stalwarts of the game like Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly and Laxman.If they have picked the brains of the seniors, if they have stepped into their thought process then it should not take time for them to attain success but if that hasn’t been the case, then it will take time. Anyhow, I do believe it will take time for the next generation to fill the void.

On bowling short to Indian batsmen: No doubt over the fact that attacks all over the world will come really hard at the Indians. In the past they have had the record of struggling against short-pitched deliveries and attacks all over the world will continue to target that area. I remember during my days we used to relish the prospect of bowling to Indians on bouncy decks. No placid track means no freebies and then it is war out there, but I do believe that Gary Kirsten will address this issue and accordingly prepare his boys.

On the first impression of a fast bowler: Athletic, elasticity and then we enter the mental side of it. One needs to know how to handle pressure. You need to be a leader. Young fast bowlers all over the world do not know how to be a leader. Look at someone like a Brett Lee. In recent times, not only has he taken care of himself, Lee has also tried to set the benchmark for others to follow. That to me is a special quality.

Current crop of quick bowlers: Oh there is a good bunch around (Lee, Siddle, Johnson and Steyn. India have Zaheer and Ishant. You will not get express bowlers in numbers simply because of the volume of cricket that is being played today. No genuine fast bowler today can go on to play 80-100 Test matches simply because there is too much cricket being played around. You can attain longevity only if you cut down on the volume of cricket.

On life as a commentator: I love coaching. I don’t see myself as a commentator. I would love to be associated with South African cricket in some form or the other. It feels great to get in touch with people with whom you have played the game. For me, it was a nice opportunity to once again meet the likes of Ravi Shastri and Ian Bishop. I have never played with Ian Chappell but it was interesting to know what his take on the modern game is. Again at the end of the day, I want to see myself, not in formals but in a tee shirt and shorts!

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Dhoni all for seven-match ODI series

Indian skipper MS Dhoni said the length of the current series against Australia would give the teams an opportunity to bounce back.
Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting, however, gave a thumbs down to the idea of a seven-match one-day series

Ponting, on his arrival to India, had questioned the logic of playing a long series, saying that it was difficult to maintain focus if a team had already wrapped up the rubber.

"This is a long series which gives us an opportunity to come back into the series. Whichever side loses the first few games have ample time to come back. It is important to play good cricket throughout," Dhoni said at the pre-match media conference here.

"It's not like a five-game or four-game series where you win the first three and the tournament is in your hands," he said.

Dhoni said most of the Indian players were fit to play but a decision on the team composition would be taken only tomorrow. He said Yuvraj Singh would definitely be fit to play the second match at Nagpur on October 28.

"I won't comment on tomorrow's playing eleven. Yuvi will play the second game, that's for sure," he said.

"Most of the guys are fit. Most guys are carrying small niggles but not major injuries. You can't do much when someone gets injured while batting or bowling during practice sessions, which are so intense.", he said.

"That's part and parcel. If you get injured often in a short time span, then you are unlucky," Dhoni said.

The Indian skipper said they do not have the "luxury" to go in with five bowlers like Australia and hoped part-timers would do the job.

"We have often relied on the part-timers. They have contributed, specially in a situation like this where they may get assistance from the wicket. That's one thing in the mind but to comment right now is too early," he said.

"All rounders are very crucial. If you have a good all rounder you can play with five specialist bowlers. They have that luxury. They have a side which has got the better talent when it comes to all-rounders," he said.

Dhoni felt that though fast bowlers did extremely well for India in their last Test series at home against Australia, the one-day scenario was different.

"It's a completely different ball game. The ball is different, a white ball. With the red ball reverse swing comes in and the length and line (to bowl) is different. Zaheer's not here which is a factor," he said.

"Last time the fast bowlers did a great job but at the same time spinners' performance was also great. Even part-timers got wickets. The situation and scenario are also very different," the wicket keeper batsman said.

Dhoni felt the wicket prepared for the game at the Reliance Stadium would not crack as much as it did in the last ODI played there, between India and Sri Lanka.

"Right now there's some stickiness. It's an early start. You will have to see conditions tomorrow. There will be a fair amount of dew on the field at this time. It looks a good track and it seems it will not break up as much as it did the last time we played here," Dhoni said.

About his own minor injury, sustained when he faced speedster Munaf Patel in the net session, Dhoni said he was feeling much better. "Today I'm a lot better."

Asked about the fact that key Australian bowlers, like pace spearhead Brett Lee have acclimatised to the conditions by playing in the Airtel Champions League Twenty20, Dhoni preferred to look on the other aspect.

"It has given them good experience. But at the same time it can be said they are a bit exhausted. Yesterday also they played a game. It will depend on the result. If they get a good result you can think they got good practice. If not you can say they got exhausted," he said.

Dhoni refused to get into a debate over the sacking of the bowling and fielding coaches Venkatesh Prasad and Robin Singh ahead of the series after they had been part of the support staff for two years.

"We have a coach. (Gary Kirsten). We are trying to do whatever we can with the available resources", he said.

Dhoni reiterated that his team was not worried about the ICC rankings.

"I have said often that we concentrate on playing good cricket and that takes care of the ratings," he said.

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