Want a Fit Nehra Throughout T20 World Cup : Dhoni

Ashish-Nehra
Ashish Nehra will be a key member for India in forthcoming ICC World T20 . Image Source : twitter

Internet Desk : Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni lauded the work ethics of veteran fast bowler Ashish Nehra . Ever since his comeback into the Indian team in this format , the senior pro has never looked back . It was his disciplined bowling , that helped India defend their total yesterday at Mirpur . The hosts never looked to be threatening at any stage in their run chase . According to Dhoni, it is the discipline that has been the key for Nehra, “The beauty of Nehra is that he knows what he needs to do to be 100 percent on the field .One of the major concerns about him was his fitness , he had that tendency of breaking down .He has certain work ethics which he follows strictly . It is the discipline that he is playing today . I think he is 36 or 37 years , so ideally the format also suits him . It would be slightly difficult for him to match the rigours of the longer format. The fact that he has to bowl in four overs also helps.  We want to keep him fit throughout the T20 World Cup.

Dhoni was also impressed with Hardik Pandya’s effort on the field against Bangladesh at the Sher e Bangla stadium . Pandya chipped in with a quickfire 31 runs and also picked up crucial wickets .

“You don’t need to tell him. He knows one thing, hit the ball. That’s what he does every time he goes in to bat. He is somebody who wants to clear the boundaries from the word go. The more games he plays , the better he will get . But definitely it is very difficult to have the skill of clearing boundaries from first ball. Also the fact that we can bowl him four overs . It gives us the luxury with playing with two spinners . He gives us that strength. If he gets going he will always give you that 10-15 extra runs . It’s good for the bowlers .”

On being asked to comment whether he can be the potential bowling all-rounder , Dhoni commented ,“ I do not want to comment  now  depending on the T20 performance .  He has talent , if we can guide him and give him the confidence , he can be somebody who can do the job for us .”

Whether he can be a potential game changer , Dhoni felt “Batting fearlessly is Hardik’s strength and that’s why we want to give him more matches, he’s a good fielder too and a useful third seamer. He is an overall package we can promote him often,” as that gives them the option of “playing an extra batsman”.

It was the brilliant knock from Rohit Sharma that saw India posting a commendable total. Lauding Rohit’s effort Dhoni said ,“Wicket was difficult. When you score 160 you might feel the wicket might have eased towards the end. But yes, I felt Rohit’s innings was special. We needed a partnership when 3 quick wickets fell. Good thing for him was Hardik settled in and started hitting strokes . He felt he needed to stay till the end and take more strike , which he did perfectly towards the end . Overall, he used the pace of the bowler and exploited the field more than anything.”

The Indian captain also stood behind Yuvraj Singh . Talking about his approach in the first match against Bangladesh , “His approach was perfect. All of a sudden you just cannot go out and start hitting. He played according to the merit of the delivery. He played a fabulous shot towards the mid-off region . That’s the kind of batting needed of him. It’s important for him to score runs, even if it’s 15 runs or 20 runs. We all know he is a complete different player once he is confident . It does gets difficult to score runs on the first opportunity . Important thing is the more he spends time at the middle , the better it is for him and the team .

Lastly , speaking on his back spasm that created a doubt over his availability in the first match , Dhoni said ,“I will get a better picture once I get up tomorrow , It’s quite stiff . There was the dilemma of playing or not playing . It was a scenario where in this format if you are not playing , you have to go back . It was difficult to convince people  what’s the state . We still have two more days before the next game  Good thing is that Parthiv is around .”