Colombo: India will have to quickly decide on their team combination as they launch their ICC World Twenty20 campaign against minnows Afghanistan here on Wednesday, hoping to get into the groove for the tougher battles ahead.
A win will ensure a Super Eights berth for the champions of the 2007 edition even before they take on England on September 23.
A smooth start against the Afghans will certainly help the ‘Men in Blue’ hit a good rhythm and the team management will have an idea about the performance of their preferred team.
The Indians are faced with the dilemma of whether to go in with five specialist bowlers or opt for the additional batsman, considering that bowling in the death overs has been a worry.
Skipper MS Dhoni is not someone who tinkers with the playing XI and believes in giving his preferred players a long rope. In fact, he has indicated that he would go in with only four specialist bowlers.
Even as the likes of Lakshmipathy Balaji, Irfan Pathan, Zaheer Khan were taken to the cleaners against Pakistan in a warm-up game, Dhoni gave indications that he would stick with the three pacer and one spinner formula for the time being.
“We lack consistency of bowling well at the death overs. We need to have more variations and we will be trying different strategies and field placements to back our bowlers.
“My ideal bowling combination will be three pacers and one spinner and part-timers. Unlike Indian conditions where there is a chance of playing two specialist spinners,” Dhoni said.
The skipper also seemed relieved that Rohit Sharma has finally found some form in the two practice games.
“If you see his Twenty20 record, he has done well. He has the ability to play big shots and can hit all around the park,” he said.
Dhoni, however, ruled out the possibility of promoting himself up the order. “I don’t think that’s an option as we have Virat at No 3 and then Yuvraj, Raina and Rohit. I would rather come at the slog and take it from there on.”
On Yuvraj, Dhoni said, “He is shaping up really well. It’s all about putting up a fight. I believe one shouldn’t think about the past and there are lot of uncertainty about the future. But it’s about putting up a fight on the day.” (PTI)