Pune: India ODI skipper MS Dhoni said that besides IPL, performance in the domestic circuit also is a must if a player does have to make it to the senior India cricket team.
Dhoni will be leading a new team Rising Pune Super Giants in this edition of the Indian Premier Leauge (IPL).
“IPL is a platform where you find out talent but after that you have to follow them in domestic circuit and see how well they are performing because the format is slightly different. When it comes to IPL, it is a four-over format and you can get away with a lot of runs. To select proper Test cricketers or 50 over cricketers just on basis of T20 over performances, I don’t think it is right,” Dhoni told reporters, here during the pre-match conference ahead of first T20 against Sri Lanka on Monday.
“IPL gives you a place to spot talent, but you have to find players who have consistently handled pressure well, keep a close eye on them in the domestic circuit and give them exposure with different tournaments and then you may get a bigger pool of players,” he asserted.
One of India’s heroes during the tour of Australia Virat Kohli has been rested for this series but Dhoni has no intention of tampering with the batting order. In that case Ajinkya Rahane is likely to bat at No 3.
“We did discuss what to do with our batting order with no Kohli. It will be better if Raina bats at the position (No 4) he will bat during the World Cup because it will give him that exposure.
We are not a team that plays a lot of T20. Usually it’s one game in a bilateral series, so this gives Raina the exposure to bat at No 4 for a consistent period of time,” Dhoni made himself clear.
The Indian skipper’s batting form, after a poor run in the ODIs, did not find favour among critics, but Dhoni came good in the T20s. He acknowledged the presence of Yuvraj Singh does take a lot of pressure off him, adding Hardik Pandya gives him the option of a seaming all-rounder.
“If Hardik Pandya comes in to bat at No 8 then there is some liberty with the batsman as he can go out and bat freely. We are fortunate that we have batting till No 8.
Depending on the conditions, if we get wickets at a slightly lower rate, then we also have the option of getting in Pawan Negi in place of Hardik if it’s really needed. If not then Hardik gives that option of a seaming all-rounder. I can get two overs from him if it’s really needed and use the part-timers. Yuvaj Singh and Suresh Raina have bowled well for us,” Dhoni added.
The Indian pacers were not on the money Down Under and slammed by veteran Indian cricketers. Dhoni was positive and trusted that his bowlers will come back strong. “As a captain you have trust the bowler. I always tell my bowlers to set their field because they know what ball they are going to bowl. It’s very difficult to set a field for every ball,” he added.
