Final Shot
The numbers might point against them, but India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said “the team will put up a strong show” in the upcoming Champions Trophy in England.
In the past, India have had a poor record in any of their international assignments post the Indian Premier League.
“It is a difficult question as I don’t have statistics to give the answer. I hope with the kind of fitness level, we will do well this time. We haven’t got any official report from the physio on injury to any player and it is a good sign,” Dhoni said ahead of the team’s departure for the tournament.
“Most of the batsmen are in good touch and have to deal with the situation. The responsibility lies on us and we will try to fulfil it to our potential. Everything is positive in the team,” he added.
The 31-year-old said that India would like to win the eluding trophy, which they shared once with Sri Lanka. “It is our last opportunity to win this title. We have to face few challenges as we are playing for the first time outside subcontinent after the change in rules in the one-dayers. We have two practice matches and enough time ahead of the first game. It is going to be a tough tourney,” he said.
With seniors like Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Zaheer Khan not in the squad, Dhoni said it will be an opportunity for the youngsters to deliver. “There are places up for grabs and the younger lot has to perform well in those conditions. It is a good platform for them to prove themselves and get exposure. There is extra responsibility on us,” he said.
Dhoni hoped the young and inexperienced opening batting pair will fire. “Shikhar (Dhawan) and (Murali) Vijay have been consistent. Hope they capitalise and give us good starts,” he said.
The wicketkeeper-batsman felt that they had a good mix in the bowling department. “We have a good pace attack to exploit the conditions. Bhuvaneshwar (Kumar) can swing and Umesh (Yadav) has pace. We have to adjust to new rules and quickly adapt to the wicket,” he said.
Dhoni admitted that the game against Pakistan would be a tense one. “Both Pakistan and India have balanced teams. Pakistan have good fast bowlers and a mystery bowler in Saeed Ajmal. Our fast bowlers also can exploit conditions to test their batsmen.”
India were whitewashed in all the formats when they last time toured England but Dhoni differed. “We have done decently well in the last ODI series in England. Rain was a factor and we lost tosses which went against us,” he said.
Coach Duncan Fletcher felt the Champions Trophy would be a learning experience. “The team is in a transition period. The Champions Trophy will be a learning experience for the next World Cup,” he said.
The former England coach said spinners could prove handy in England. “Wickets like in Cardiff is a turner and the spinners can come into play. We have to be careful to play two spinners. We have a balanced squad.”
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