Emboldened by recent success at home and away, India's limited overs captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni today asserted that his team is in "auto-pilot" mode and shaping up well for the upcoming big-ticket ICC World Twenty20.
India blanked Sri Lanka 3-0 at home recently, following their triumph Down Under, which has given the team hope of regaining the trophy it won in its inaugural edition in 2007 under the leadership of Dhoni.
The 34-year-old said, "We have played T20s in Australia and the at home in recent times. The team is doing well. So, you can say that the team is in auto-pilot mode. Injuries have to be kept at bay. If every player is fit, and every player is in form then it is good for the team," Dhoni said today.
Dhoni is especially satisfied with the performance of his bowlers and expects them to deliver in the mega-event starting March 8. According to him, they are better equipped to do well in the shortest format than in ODIs.
"As far as T20 is concerned, our bowling has been very good. And at the same time, if you compare it with 50 overs it becomes a bit different. Because in 20 overs you know after one or two balls, batsman will want to go for a big shot, they will play aggressive cricket so you can play around with that.
"Sometimes in the 50-over format, we talk about building pressure and when playing outside India, if you don't get wickets in middle overs, the pressure builds up, especially on the spinners and then on the fast bowlers in the slog overs.
"So that way, we can say that we are not very consistent in death bowling in the 50 overs. In T20, we are looking very good as of now. The consistency is there for all to see be in death bowling or the first six overs in India or outside. The bowling attack, overall, is pretty balanced," Dhoni said on the sidelines of a launch.
Dhoni stressed on the importance of having a side that is ready for every eventualities.
"Sometimes we have to leave someone, so that overall balance of the team remains intact. Even if a player is ill or gets injured for two matches then also we have to ensure his replacement is there in the team.
"But at the same time it's ideal if a player is capable of being picked for more than one situation rather than saying that he can only be a replacement for one individual.
Overall
if we see at the 15 it looks like a very balanced squad. There are players to replace in any eventualities."
Asked if he feels the Pakistan team for the T20 World Cup would different he responded in positive as there are lots of new faces. And about aggression he said India never lags behind other teams when it comes to playing aggressive cricket.
The other objective will be to check out the youngsters,
who have emerged after a good IPL season as to how they absorb the pressure of playing for the senior national team although Zimbabwe are not exactly the toughest side in international cricket.
Murali Vijay and KL Rahul are two players who have a fair chance of making it to the Zimbabwe bound tour. In fact Vijay last played limited overs cricket in Zimbabwe last year under Rahane's leadership. Rahul is also set to get a look in after an impressive IPL.
Among the pacers, Jasprit Bumrah, who is a regular in T20 Internationals may like to play the three ODIs adding to his kitty of a solitary 50-over match at the international level.
Mohammed Shami, Sandeep Sharma, Mohit Sharma are some of the contenders with Ashish Nehra already being ruled out for atleast four months due to a career-threatening hamstring tendon injury.
Leg-spinner Murugan Ashwin, all-rounder Krunal Pandya are some of the names that will be discussed. Some of the tested players like Amit Mishra, Piyush Chawla may also get a look-in but if the selectors opt for youth policy, they may not be considered. Ditto for KKR veterans Gautam Gambhir and Yusuf Pathan, who have done well but are in their mid-30's.
