XtraTime Web Desk: Former India skipper MS Dhoni’s failure of rotating the strike in the middle overs has been an headache for the Indian team management for quite some time and the team’s bowling coach Bharat Arun on Wednesday said it’s not that the Indian cricket team’s head coach Ravi Shastri isn’t talking with Dhoni about how to make improvements.
On
a Hampshire Bowl track where Dhoni struggled to 28 off 52 against Afghanistan,
captain Virat Kohli was effortless during his 63-ball stay that fetched 67 runs
at a strike-rate of above 100.
But, Arun said Dhoni should not be compared with
Kohli on strike rate.
“I think Virat Kohli is probably the number
one batsman across all formats. So I think to compare anybody to the way he
plays is not right,” Arun said at the media interaction ahead of the West
Indies game on Thursday.
Asked if Dhoni has been told about his slow
batting by the team management, Arun gave a somewhat roundabout reply.
“There is a constant dialogue between all
the batsmen, the support staff, the batting coach, the head coach – Ravi
Shastri has a constant dialogue with all the coaches. I can’t really get into
the brass tacks of what we discuss, but yes if I have to answer your question, there
is a constant dialogue for us to improve,” the former India medium pacer
said.
He said Dhoni played as per situation in the
match against Afghanistan.
“I think according to the situation and the
condition of the wicket, we were able to successfully defend the total that we
put up. And had we probably lost a wicket at that stage (when Dhoni and Kedar
Jadhav were batting), then things would have turned out differently. So I don’t
think it’s too much of a concern for us right now,” Arun said.
In Manchester, India had scored a commanding 336
against Pakistan and Arun is hoping it will be the same against the West Indies
on Thursday.
“If you look at our first three games, I
think we put up some really big scores. And Afghanistan match, the wicket was a
little sticky; it was tricky to bat under those circumstances. But I think it’s
a question of adapting, understanding these conditions and adapting to
that,” he reasoned.
The bowling coach is confident that his seamers will be up for challenge against the hard-hitting West Indies batting line-up led by Chris Gayle.
“They do have their strengths. And also it’s a big challenge for the bowlers too — especially when they come after you. But whenever batsmen come after you, if you’re willing to look at it deeply, there is a chance in it for the bowlers, and I think that’s what our bowlers would be looking to do.”