MOHALI, India – India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni yesterday said doing well in sessions, particularly on the last two days of a Test match, is key to winning a series as the hosts gear up for the tough assessment against Australia.
The two-match series will begin tomorrow here even as the outcome of the rubber will not have any bearing on India’s number one rank in Test cricket.
“Test cricket is about doing well in sessions. The team that wins more sessions in the last couple of days when the ball turns and bounces and there is reverse swing … it becomes the deciding factor,” Dhoni told reporters on the eve of the match at the PCA stadium.
Stressing that it is important to get early breakthroughs, the skipper is expecting that Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma will make early inroad into their rival line-up. Dhoni though still not sure how the strip will behave.
“It looks that when the pacers will bowl, the ball might just skid on to the batsman,” he assessed.
The captain was also curt in his reply when asked how the Indians will cope against the barrage of short balls that Australians will fire at them, as Indians are not known for pulling and hooking well.
“The solution is simple. If you can’t hook or pull it’s better you leave those deliveries,” was his reply.
He refused to believe, though, that the series will be a battle between him and rival skipper Ricky Ponting.
“I don’t believe that it’s a captain versus captain battle. The reason that India have done well against Australia in the recent times is due to the fact that we played well as a team.
“Agreed that as a captain, you take a few important decisions but it’s the batsmen and the bowlers who win you matches,” the Indian captain said.
Dhoni termed Australia as an aggressive unit who will try to get a result out of the two-Test series.
“They are a competitive unit. But over the years, we have played a lot against the Australians. The boys know exactly what to expect.
Normally, the strategy is decided after analysing the conditions. However, the basic strategy remains same,” he said.
Someone who hasn’t been a firm believer in ICC rankings, Dhoni reiterated that it is team’s performance which is of paramount importance.
“Rankings are not everything. The process of preparation and the execution of plans are far more important. Also you need to do your basics right. I believe that if you do most things correctly, ranking will take care of itself.”
Dhoni said it won’t be a problem playing against Michael Hussey and Doug Bollinger, whom he led during Chennai Super Kings’ campaign at the Champions League Twenty20.
“The friendship remains off the pitch. You do not have to be rude or rough on the field. They are nice guys and we really gelled well while playing in the IPL. They are tough opponents but characters I am fond of,” he said. (Yahoo Sport)