Triumphant Dhoni calls for turning tracks

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India may have blanked the Kiwis in the two-Test series but skipper M.S. Dhoni reiterated the need for turners even while lauding the spinners for their good show in what he termed as a “well-fought series”.

“One definite area where we would like ourselves in is playing on turning tracks. That’s something we didn’t get in the series.

But still the spinners (R. Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha) bowled really well in Hyderabad and Bangalore. It’s pleasing to see them fighting with the batsmen on tracks which really didn’t help them much, especially in the first innings,” said Dhoni.

Looking ahead to the twin home Test series against England and Australia lined up in a few months’ time, Dhoni said the set of players would remain more or less same.

“These are the men we’ve to fight the war with because you have put in a lot of time and effort on these players.

It’s not that in just one or two games you see players who will always perform. Also, there are two ways of fighting pressure - one is to go and play your shots while the other is to soak in the pressure,” stated the Indian skipper.

On the GenNext in the Test batting line-up, Dhoni was all praise for the inexperienced talents while adding that the likes of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman are hard to replace.

“The boys who are coming in are not replacing anyone. They are coming in with their own character and it was nice to see them perform. Virat played well in this Test.

We needed someone to soak up the pressure and he was the guy who did that in both the innings. Pujara was good in this innings as well as in the last Test.

So it is a continuous learning process and they are shaping up well. It is a big positive,” added Dhoni while insisting that his own role at No. 7 hasn’t changed much due to the inexperienced middle order.

Even the No. 6 slot, currently occupied by Suresh Raina, is a not a matter of worry for the captain. “It’s important to have the mix.”