<p>Insisting that there are enough people in the support staff to take care of players, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has said it is fine if the coach’s position remains vacant for some time rather than appointing “anybody” to fill in.<br /><br />The coach’s position has been a hot topic of discussion post Duncan Fletcher’s exit after the World Cup and Dhoni insisted that the Zimbabwean’s contribution was invaluable to Indian cricket.<br /><br />“At least indirectly you are saying you are missing Duncan Fletcher,” Dhoni shot back when asked about the team’s losses in relation to the coach’s job lying vacant in the post-match conference after the Men in Blue suffered the ignominy of their maiden series defeat against Bangladesh.<br /><br />“I felt he was one guy who was never really appreciated by the media. He did all the hard work. He was with the team for a long time. He went on really tough tours but I don’t think we should blame the support staff. Ultimately it is the individuals that go out and adapt and do what is required. I don’t think it is the support staff.<br /><br />“If you are indirectly hinting that we need a coach and all that, we have enough people in the support staff to take care of us. And even if the position of the coach is vacant for some time, it is okay. Don’t put just anybody there just because the post is vacant. Then it will have a bad impact in the long run. It takes time to make these decisions, and our team generally doesn’t have that time because we keep playing non-stop,” he added.<br /><br />India were outplayed in virtually every department in the first two ODIs against Bangladesh, but Dhoni defended the squad members. “This is the best lot of players we have,” Dhoni said.<br />“What we have to think about is, if we are playing in the subcontinent whether we want to go in with the extra spinner, whether we really want fast bowlers who bowl quick but are not good with line and length. At times we have seen they can really go for runs.<br /><br />“If you see Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar), he is not exceptionally quick but even when the batsmen are scoring fast he gets away with it. The only problem is, if he doesn’t take wickets the other bowlers are not smart enough to get away with the kind of bowling they do. <br />“Overall you have to see what is the best balance and accordingly you move forward,” he added.<br /><br />Often accused of persisting with all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who scored 19 at No.7 and failed to bag a wicket in his 7 overs, Dhoni not only defended his Chennai Super Kings team-mate but also gave a cricketing justification for his preferred selection.<br /><br />“We use every bowler according to his potential. I don’t like to bowl him in the first 10, but after that he has bowled for us consistently, in the second Powerplay and even in the slog. I have used him late in the innings, and he has bowled three decent overs in the Powerplay.<br /><br />“I feel it is very difficult for someone like him to justify his selection because more often than not they don’t get to bat. In the last one year even I have not got a decent chance to bat. The only decent chance you get is when you are four-five down in 20 overs,” he said.</p>
<p>Insisting that there are enough people in the support staff to take care of players, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has said it is fine if the coach’s position remains vacant for some time rather than appointing “anybody” to fill in.<br /><br />The coach’s position has been a hot topic of discussion post Duncan Fletcher’s exit after the World Cup and Dhoni insisted that the Zimbabwean’s contribution was invaluable to Indian cricket.<br /><br />“At least indirectly you are saying you are missing Duncan Fletcher,” Dhoni shot back when asked about the team’s losses in relation to the coach’s job lying vacant in the post-match conference after the Men in Blue suffered the ignominy of their maiden series defeat against Bangladesh.<br /><br />“I felt he was one guy who was never really appreciated by the media. He did all the hard work. He was with the team for a long time. He went on really tough tours but I don’t think we should blame the support staff. Ultimately it is the individuals that go out and adapt and do what is required. I don’t think it is the support staff.<br /><br />“If you are indirectly hinting that we need a coach and all that, we have enough people in the support staff to take care of us. And even if the position of the coach is vacant for some time, it is okay. Don’t put just anybody there just because the post is vacant. Then it will have a bad impact in the long run. It takes time to make these decisions, and our team generally doesn’t have that time because we keep playing non-stop,” he added.<br /><br />India were outplayed in virtually every department in the first two ODIs against Bangladesh, but Dhoni defended the squad members. “This is the best lot of players we have,” Dhoni said.<br />“What we have to think about is, if we are playing in the subcontinent whether we want to go in with the extra spinner, whether we really want fast bowlers who bowl quick but are not good with line and length. At times we have seen they can really go for runs.<br /><br />“If you see Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar), he is not exceptionally quick but even when the batsmen are scoring fast he gets away with it. The only problem is, if he doesn’t take wickets the other bowlers are not smart enough to get away with the kind of bowling they do. <br />“Overall you have to see what is the best balance and accordingly you move forward,” he added.<br /><br />Often accused of persisting with all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who scored 19 at No.7 and failed to bag a wicket in his 7 overs, Dhoni not only defended his Chennai Super Kings team-mate but also gave a cricketing justification for his preferred selection.<br /><br />“We use every bowler according to his potential. I don’t like to bowl him in the first 10, but after that he has bowled for us consistently, in the second Powerplay and even in the slog. I have used him late in the innings, and he has bowled three decent overs in the Powerplay.<br /><br />“I feel it is very difficult for someone like him to justify his selection because more often than not they don’t get to bat. In the last one year even I have not got a decent chance to bat. The only decent chance you get is when you are four-five down in 20 overs,” he said.</p>