Bowlers responsible for India’s turnaround
HAMILTON, NEW ZEALAND— Mahendra Singh Dhoni says his bowlers have brought about India’s “remarkable difference” between a fruitless tour of Australia and the Cricket World Cup and are making him look good as a captain.
India was heavily beaten by Australia in a four-test series in December and January, and finished last behind Australia and England in a oneday tri-series which seemed the most unpromising preparation for the defence of its world title.
Dhoni said a 10-day break after that series allowed India to freshen up, and the massive fan support they received in their opening cup match against Pakistan hugely boosted their confidence and motivation.
But he said the greatest contribution to the transformation of India, unbeaten in five cup matches, has come from the bowling attack.
With Tuesday’s eight-wicket win over Ireland, which left India unbeaten and atop Pool B, Dhoni matched Clive Lloyd’s record of nine consecutive World Cup victories. He deflected credit for the achievement, pointing out captains are made by the players they lead.
India has bowled its opponents in all five of its matches so far, and it is that, Dhoni said, that has underpinned its success.
“I’m best when the bowlers are bowling well,” he said. “I feel that’s where the remarkable difference has come from — the bowlers’ end. They’re very aware of the plans, and at the same time they’re bowling to the field.”
Dhoni said he didn’t feel that his decision to relinquish the test captaincy impacted on his leadership of the one-day side. “I’m just the same,” he said. “The things that have changed are the results.
“The things the bowlers are doing are things that I haven’t seen for a long time, particularly with the Indian team setup. You used to keep telling them bowl to one line, bowl one length, that creates pressure, but it was more like a said thing that was listened to by them, but now they’ve seen and they’ve tasted it.”
Dhoni praised India’s ability to rally after the “difficult” tour to Australia.
“The moment you start thinking about participating in a World Cup the adrenalin starts flowing,” Dhoni said. “Then, with a lot of fans coming from India, and starting with an India-Pakistan game, (that) was just fantastic . . . Hopefully, we’ll keep moving forward with the kind of momentum we have.”