Australia tour will be a learning curve for youngsters: MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni has stated that the series against Australia will be a ‘learning curve’ for the youngsters in the side. Speaking at the press conference ahead of the first ODI at Perth, the 34-year-old said that the series against the ‘tough’ Australian side would provide a lot of exposure to the youngsters and would be a test for the senior players as well. The statement holds weight as fresh faces Gurkeerat Mann, Barinder Saran and Rishi Dhawan, who are in the ODI squad, will have many things to learn.

“As I have said Australians are known to play tough cricket irrespective of where they are competing. Which means it will give our youngsters, our players who are a part of our side a fair amount of exposure and lot of experience. As I said it will be a very good learning curve for the youngsters and at the same time it will test the seniors who are the part of the side,” Dhoni told the media ahead of the first ODI.

MS Dhoni also talked about his strategy and said that his side would focus on one game at a time rather than looking at the series as a whole.

“I feel to start off well is very important. It’s important for us to do the small things right. I think it is a bilateral series where lot of new individuals will get a chance. So, it will be very exciting,” he added.

Dhoni also expressed his views on including left-arm pacer Barinder Sran in the ODI squad in place of injured Mohammad Shami, who pulled his hamstrings and was ruled out of the series. The skipper said that although Shami’s omission was a great loss for the team, it would be good to see how the new players would handle the pressure.

“Shami has been very good for us. If you see the World Cup, he was somebody who bowled really well for us. He can bowl well with a new ball, in the middle overs and also in the death. It is always good to have such kind of bowlers. It’s sad we lost him to an injury. As far as newcomers are concerned, we will definitely feature them in the tournament and also we want to see where they stand,” Dhoni said.

MS Dhoni also cleared that the Indian team will not play this series as a revenge for their World Cup ouster at the hands of the hosts. But, instead they would try to achieve the maximum.

“You want to compete, you want to win the game because at the end of the day you are representing your country. But at the same time, you have to follow the guidelines that have been followed, spirit of the game. It starts from small basic things. So, I won’t consider the word revenge. But definitely we will like to do well. We want to get a lot out of this particular series.”

India will aim to gain momentum in the limited overs format after a forgettable 2015 when they will take on Australia in a five-match ODI series, starting from Tuesday in Perth.