So high is Mahendra Singh Dhoni on confidence these days that less than 36 hours after his arrival in Australia, he was inviting 'bouncers' from the media. The few 'short-pitched' ones lobbed by the Australian media were summarily dispatched to the boundary, the grin never quite leaving Dhoni's face. Among the few tricky questions posed at Wednesday's official press conference was whether he was disappointed at not having come to Australia as India's captain. "This is my first tour of Australia and I am looking forward to the pleasure of playing the game. I will think about the captaincy when the ODIs and Twenty20 matches come around," said Dhoni, under whom India have a 100 per cent record against Australia in the shortest version of the game. Dhoni also maintained that he never found it difficult to handle three (with Sehwag's inclusion, it's now four) former captains in the line-up. "I see it as more of a boon, really. As these guys have so much experience, one can always consult them before taking any major decision," said Dhoni. Asked about his expectations from his maiden tour of Australia, the Indian vice-captain said: "Lots of bounce and good aggressive cricket. The Aussies are known for it and it's not for nothing that they are the world champions." When someone pointed out that bounce may not be a big factor in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG as the match will be played on a drop-in wicket, Dhoni grinned. "Even the slowest wicket here will have more bounce than the fastest track back in India. Succeeding in Australia remains the ultimate challenge for any player or a team. We are focused to do well," he added. Will it be easy to take on someone like Shaun Tait against whom the Indians have not played much? Dhoni was forthright, once more: "We have watched video recordings of his action. That's a common practice these days. Whenever a bowler with a unique action comes along like Malinga, Tait or Tanvir, you have got to watch them closely on the videos. The real challenge, of course, is to sort them out in the middle." Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Dhoni's straight bat floors Oz
So high is Mahendra Singh Dhoni on confidence these days that less than 36 hours after his arrival in Australia, he was inviting 'bouncers' from the media. The few 'short-pitched' ones lobbed by the Australian media were summarily dispatched to the boundary, the grin never quite leaving Dhoni's face. Among the few tricky questions posed at Wednesday's official press conference was whether he was disappointed at not having come to Australia as India's captain. "This is my first tour of Australia and I am looking forward to the pleasure of playing the game. I will think about the captaincy when the ODIs and Twenty20 matches come around," said Dhoni, under whom India have a 100 per cent record against Australia in the shortest version of the game. Dhoni also maintained that he never found it difficult to handle three (with Sehwag's inclusion, it's now four) former captains in the line-up. "I see it as more of a boon, really. As these guys have so much experience, one can always consult them before taking any major decision," said Dhoni. Asked about his expectations from his maiden tour of Australia, the Indian vice-captain said: "Lots of bounce and good aggressive cricket. The Aussies are known for it and it's not for nothing that they are the world champions." When someone pointed out that bounce may not be a big factor in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG as the match will be played on a drop-in wicket, Dhoni grinned. "Even the slowest wicket here will have more bounce than the fastest track back in India. Succeeding in Australia remains the ultimate challenge for any player or a team. We are focused to do well," he added. Will it be easy to take on someone like Shaun Tait against whom the Indians have not played much? Dhoni was forthright, once more: "We have watched video recordings of his action. That's a common practice these days. Whenever a bowler with a unique action comes along like Malinga, Tait or Tanvir, you have got to watch them closely on the videos. The real challenge, of course, is to sort them out in the middle." 