Despite the lack of warm-up ties ahead of World T20, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni feels it won’t be an issue. In a post-match news conference after CSK lost to DD, he tackles this and other issues.
Do you think lack of warm-up matches will hamper India in ICC World T20?
No. I think 14 games are more than enough. With the amount of cricket we are playing here, I don’t think it (lack of warm-up matches) will make a huge difference. When we played there last time the conditions in the West Indies were fine. I expect the wickets to be batsmen friendly.
How do you fancy CSK’s semifinal chances?
It’s not in our hands now. It depends on Deccan Chargers who have two matches while we have only one. We are supposed to win that match and hope — that is not wishing them bad — they go down. The loss against Kings XI Punjab really hurts us.
What was the difference between CSK and DD?
The difference was that they had two part timers in the form of Virender Sehwag and Tillakaratne Dilshan, who could spin the ball on this kind of track. We only had Suresh Raina, who is not a big spinner. We were hampered by that but we played our best combination. We will take it with an open heart and hope to qualify.
Do you think you should have bowled first?
Not really. I don’t regret the decision of batting first because that has been our strength. It has been our strategy to score good runs and give the bowlers the cushion of a few extra runs. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen today. If like Delhi we had lost a couple of early wickets chasing, then the situation would still have been difficult.
Do you see a role for grafters like Gambhir?
It is important even in T20 to have a couple of batsmen taking their innings through and the rest play aggressive cricket around them. T20 may look like a shorter version of the game but you still have to play 120 balls. It is a long innings and especially playing during this time of the year when it is hot and humid, it is very sapping. You can judge this from the number of players who were suffering from dehydration.
Has Hayden’s poor form affected the team?
It has affected us as we have missed his explosive opening. But I am not firing too. The games that I missed due to injury have hampered me a bit. I love to play a lot of games and I am a sort of player who loves to spend more time on the wicket.
What do you think is lacking?
One of the departments of concern is the fast bowling. If we had one or two Indian fast bowlers who could have done well consistently, then the whole combination of the side would have changed. We will be missing some of the key players in the next IPL because of the auction. I am really passionate about the team and let us hope we get the best team next year.
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