Dhoni lauds youngsters after India's big win
After registering back-to-back victories over England in the first two ODIs of the ongoing five-match series, Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni hailed the youngsters for delivering the goods.
- Press Trust of India
- Updated: October 17, 2011 11:33 PM IST
After registering back-to-back victories over England in the first two ODIs of the ongoing five-match series, Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni hailed the youngsters for delivering the goods.
"Youngsters are doing very well in one-dayers. It is always good to win games and good to see youngsters stepping up and coming up with good performances," said Dhoni.
He picked Kohli, who scored an unbeaten 112 of 98 balls to help India to a comfortable eight-wicket victory here at the Ferozshah Kotla on Monday, for special praise.
"Virat is batting very well and has improved as a cricketer. It is always beneficial for the youngsters to come at the top of the order so that they get the time to settle down and then convert the fifties into hundreds," he said.
"Eventually he would learn to change his innings a bit and improve further as cricketer," he added.
Kohli along with Gautam Gambhir (84 not out) put up a 209-run stand for the third wicket and Dhoni said that even though the latter couldn't score a century he played a crucial innings.
"One can't forget Gambhir. He batted extremely well. Batting at number three he faced the English bowlers well and, along with Virat, got some kind of a partnership going, which was very important. Their partnership was brilliant."
Asked to compare the team's performance here to England, where India could not win a single match in all three formats of the game, Dhoni said that it was the "wet ball that made all the difference".
"There is no particular reason why we are doing well but I think in England it was hard to grip the wet ball and I think that made the difference."
Dhoni also agreed that India have become better as a chasing unit. "Even when the scores are higher we have surely improved as a chasing unit. We have improved over as a team," he said.
The 30-year-old Dhoni said that coach Duncan Fletcher's inputs in England were as valuable as they are here in India but as they were losing matches there he had to take all the criticism.
"In England, he did not do anything too differently. But when the team doesn't do well all these questions arise. His inputs were valuable there also. Plans and strategies sometimes click and sometimes they don't.
"Here the conditions are different and every team has to adapt to the different condition. So more than the team strategies it is up to the individuals to do the things right and play right kind of a game. A lot depend on players also," the wicketkeeper-batsman said.
"Whenever England have come to India, more often than not our bowlers have done well. Wickets here are different and it is difficult for the strokeplayers.
"Once the openers are out, it puts pressure on middle and lower middle order," he said.
Talking about pacer Umesh Yadav, Dhoni said he is impressive, but only time will tell if he can stay fit.
"Umesh is very quick as far as Indian pacers are concerned. But he is prone to injuries so I feel it is very important how we manage him and get him stronger.
"Sometimes speed is not everything, you have to bring in variations also. But more games he play, more he will improve as a pacer. Only time will if he can sustain," explained Dhoni.