Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Wednesday conceded that
comeback-man Yuvraj Singh will be under some pressure during the
upcoming ODI series against Australia but said the team would insulate
him from any "undue" stress by keeping things "normal" in the dressing
room.
Yuvraj would be eager to prove a point after being recalled to
the squad following a string of good scores for India A against the West
Indies A and a solid display for India Blue in the Challenger Series.
Dhoni said the 31-year-old, who beat a rare germ cell cancer last year,
will perform well if he manages to keep his mind off pressure and
expectations.
"We are trying to keep it as normal as possible. If it becomes
like a comeback scenario, I think there is a kind of pressure on the
player. It doesn't matter if you are one of the biggest match-winners.
It is very important to take that feeling away from the individual that
he is making his comeback," Dhoni said ahead of the only Twenty20 match
against Australian to be played on Thursday.
"Because what's important is for the individual to be expressive
on the field, back himself, have belief in his talent, the kind of
talent that he has got. Ultimately that will show on the field. We will
try to keep it as normal as possible and try to take the undue pressure
off him and hopefully that will work," he added.
He backed the left-hander, who has been recalled after playing
his last ODI in January. "Yuvraj, of course is a match winner and we all
know that. He is a big player and has been proving himself whenever
questions have been raised. The fact is that he is a big match player.
He performs well in big matches. He does well in tough series. We are
hoping that he will come back strong," he said.
Despite the BCCI advancing the start of the ODI matches by an
hour, Dhoni said dew would be a key factor and a lot would depend on it,
especially the use of spinners. "We will have to see exactly how much
it turns, whether dew will be a factor because if dew becomes a factor
then the spinners may not get the same amount of turn that they would
have got at some other time of the year," Dhoni explained.
Dhoni said the seven-match ODI series, starting October 13,
would be an exciting one. "You will have ample time, if a side lags
behind, to get back into the series. So it's a bit different compared to
the other series that we have played. Mostly we play a five-match
international series, so this is something slightly different for us.
But I think we have played one seven-ODI series before," he said.
The inspirational captain, who enjoyed a two-month break from
international cricket, said it is good to be back. "It's good to be back
and start playing cricket. A few of us, we had two months off. A few
others had close to one and half months off. It is good to be back on
the field," he said.
Asked to comment on the Australian team, Dhoni said the visitors
have the right mix of players. "I think they are a very good side. If
you see, they have got the right mix, they have got the all-rounders,
got proper batsmen and good bowlers at the same time. I think it will be
an exciting series and the best team will win," he said.
Before the start of the series, Australian vice-captain Brad
Haddin had said the visitors would be striving to win the series 5-2 to
be number one in ICC rankings. "They can look at 7-0 also but that is
not what we are looking at," quipped Dhoni in response.
"It is not about what we are looking at but how well we do on
the field. I think they have a got a very good side but we have also
played good cricket," he said. Local boy, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja,
would be making his first appearance at home in an international T20
match and Dhoni said he will use the left-arm spinner appropriately, as
he has been struggling in the shortest format of the game.
"All cricketers have ups and lows in their career and you have
to deal with that. It is not that he has done badly. T20 is one format
where he feels a bit of pressure. Of course we have to manoeuvre around
it," Dhoni said. "A lot of times we have used him in the last few overs,
which obviously puts a bit of pressure on the spinners. We will try to
use him in the best possible manner where a little pressure can be eased
off him and other bowlers, who are in good form, they handle the kind
of pressure that is needed in the slog overs," Dhoni added.
"Overall we will share the responsibility and that would make it
much easier for him to consistently do well," he added. There was a
heavy downpour on Tuesday and the skipper said they would look at the
forecast before the start of the match.
"If we talk about the practice, compared to how much it rained,
the groundsmen have done a good job. We practised as much we could. Some
water had seeped in through the covers but we have tried to manage it
well and did whatever we could. Tomorrow, we will see the forecast,
especially one hour before the match, that is more realistic and we will
have to wait till that point of time," he said.
Speaking on the game in general, the 32-year old said he enjoys
playing in all three formats and each tends to influence the other. "I
enjoy each and every format. It doesn't matter if it is Test cricket,
T20 or ODIs. ODI, I feel is a mix of Test cricket and T20. Increasingly
what we are seeing is that ODIs are having a big effect on Test matches,
how we play and in the same way, T20s are having a big effect on how we
are playing the ODIs.
"Every format is special for its own reason. You have to respect
each and every format and go ahead in whatever you are playing and try
to do well for your country," he said.
