Problem of plenty for MSD

The Indian attack against England on Sunday night had an unsettled look to it but the manner in which the bowlers performed – bundling out the defending champions for 80 –  would have done a world of good to their confidence, felt MS Dhoni.

“Confidence is something that’s very important, especially for our bowlers,” said Dhoni on Sunday. “Once they get that confidence, they execute their plans really well. It was very important that the five bowlers who played did really well. I think they responded well.”

With Zaheer Khan and R Ashwin being rested, Indian attack had a different look to it.

Harbhajan Singh and Piyush Chawla were coming off a long break from international cricket while Irfan Pathan and Lakshmipathi Balaji were relatively fresh as was Ashok Dinda. “They started off tentatively but as the game progressed, they got better and better,” Dhoni continued. “Piyush bowled really well, he has got a brilliant wrong ’un. If the batsmen commit a mistake, he has very good chances of getting them out with the googly. Bhajji again was very consistent with his line and length, used the doosra and the top-spinner really well. I was very happy with their performance.

“Among the fast bowlers, Irfan bowled well and gave us those early wickets which is very important for us the reason being we are a side that tends to leak a few runs in the first six overs. So it’s very important that we get those wickets so that in the middle overs, we (can) put pressure on the opposition,” he explained.

Commenting on England’s struggles against spin, Dhoni put it down to inexperience. “It’s something that’s a bit new to them, a bit different for them,” he said. “When the ball spins in England, there is a bit of pace and you can play your big strokes or the way you want to play. But in the sub-continent, sometimes when it starts turning, the ball stops a bit. You have to be careful when you are playing those drives because if you are slightly late or you are slightly early, the slip is there or the short-cover is there. It’s a bit different compared to England,” he reasoned.

Asked if he would play Harbhajan and Ashwin together, Dhoni replied he had no idea. “I don’t know who will play, frankly. But I am quite happy with the problem of plenty. We will see. The selection will depend on the wicket. If it’s a fresh wicket and a hard-rolled wicket, the spinners may not be that effective. We don’t really know what will be our first XI right now,” he pointed out.