It’s not easy to give chances to youngsters: Dhoni
Oct 16, 2016 at 12:52 PM
Before even the start of the first ODI of the One-day series against New Zealand, the limited overs captain, M.S. Dhoni, has clearly sent a message to newcomers like Jayant and Mandeep Singh that they will not get their chances in the series as Indian team cannot afford to take chances before Champions trophy, lack of regular games being the reason which he has cited for the same
“With the Indian team, it’s difficult to give chances, let’s be fair about it because we have to win games while also looking at the process. So we try our best to do what is in favor of the result and the team at the same time. Now there’s slightly more pressure because we only have eight games. This is a season when we’ll play a lot of Test matches. It’s a different challenge, but we’re open [to experimenting] and we’ll use games in the best possible manner,” said Dhoni before the first ODI.
Dhoni was one of the few senior members to travel to Zimbabwe earlier this year, he led a new bunch of players which included players like KL Rahul (uncapped in ODI’s), Karun Nair, Jayant Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal and few more who did not have experience in international cricket. There at Zimbabwe, these players were the need of Dhoni as he did not have any option, still the Haryana spinner Jayant Yadav could not make the cut but surprisingly Jayant Yadav made it to the Test squad for the final Test match against and later also qualified for the One-day squad for his good performance in Australia playing for India A. Chances of him being included in One-day squad looks dim and bleak. Looks like his exile will continue for long as Dhoni is in no mood to tinker with the old squad as India is scheduled to play just 8 ODI’s before the start of Champion Trophy next year.
“Quite a few of them would have gone to Zimbabwe. All of a sudden, 14 or 15 were there and then a few injuries here and there… It’s not a realistic number but at the same time, there are a few individuals who we are very keen to see what they have on offer,
I think one of the biggest challenges is that the cricket that we play in the subcontinent, more often than not, a finisher is someone who bats at 5, 6 7, to some extent, maybe No. 4. A lot of times in India, the lower order doesn’t get a chance to bat,” Dhoni added.
Indian team is scheduled to kick off the five-match One-day series against New Zealand from today. The first match will be played in Dharamsala whereas the teams will fly to Delhi for the second ODI. Mohali, Ranchi, and Vizag will host the third, fourth and fifth ODI respectively.