Of course under the given equation, the Indian skipper MS Dhoni is hard pressed to register victory over the tough opponent Australia by all means. But he is mature enough to make correct and most appropriate decision, thereby not jeopardizing the safety of his fellow players who are not fully fit. Just before the World Cup, perhaps the risk involved is not worth it, as most of the fans feel it is better to take early exit instead of landing in a situation where many of the team mates might aggravate their injuries. Dhoni said, “In the last two matches, we were playing the best XI possible. But we were also bothered by injuries. Experimentation is a word that’s banned in the Indian team’s context since a long time. We try to feature the best eleven and at the same time, we like to get a lot of positives out of the game.”
He added, “At the same time, what’s the point looking to win games where you are pushing an individual who has quite a significant niggle. You may end up winning the game but you may end up losing him for the World Cup. You have to take a call. So close to the World Cup, there is no time for errors when it comes to actually managing the players because we want the fifteen to be part of the World Cup squad.”
Replying a query that if there is a threat to Rohit’s World Cup participation, Dhoni confirmed with a firm no.
The Indian team had taken a short mid-series break after playing England in Brisbane on Tuesday. The team travelled here a day later and had not practiced until Friday, taking two days on the sides off.
Justifying the same, Dhoni said, “On a long tour, it is important to switch on and switch off. Breaks like these really help you do that. We made the practice session we had was to make it slightly tough and slightly more realistic. So you give them good breaks but at the same time, you want the sessions to be more purposeful. So that’s what the emphasis has been and that’s what we tried. So today (on Sunday), we will have a slightly lighter session followed by the game tomorrow (on Monday).”
Dhoni has always been very meticulous in using the resources at his disposal. Hopefully, he can lead India well in the world cup.