MS Dhoni stresses on need of preparation time for overseas tour

11/27/2017

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MS Dhoni has backed Virat Kohli’s comments on a packed international calendar stating that the Indian team needs some time to get accustomed to the conditions on overseas tours like South Africa. Dhoni has also added that he had fun in the dressing room but didn't joke around in the middle.

Just two days after hosting Sri Lanka in the last limited-overs match of the ongoing tour on December 24, India will fly out to South Africa for three Tests, six One-day Internationals, and three T20 Internationals in almost two months of grueling cricket. The packed scheduling frustrated Indian skipper Virat Kohli, who had stated that it was easy to criticise players for non-performance overseas, but the insufficient time for players to get accustomed to the conditions was often ignored. The statement led the attention of MS Dhoni as well and he came out in support of his skipper.

"It is absolutely right, because we play so much cricket that we do not get much preparation time when we go overseas to play. But as an international cricketer, this is also a challenge," Dhoni said while speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a match played in north Kashmir's Baramulla district, reported PTI.

"It takes some time to get used to, but if you see this team, there are many cricketers who have played overseas and it helps a lot. If they get six to eight or 10 days, it is good, but whatever time they get, I think they will do well," he said in response to a question about Kohli's statement.

Some eyebrows were raised when it was understood that the pitches for the three Tests against Sri Lanka would have a sprinkling of grass to make them pacer-friendly like the Indians will encounter in South Africa. Kohli also admitted that the team management had no choice but to request for pacer-friendly pitches for the ongoing series because there is hardly any time left to prepare for the South Africa series after the Sri Lankan engagements. Dhoni also agreed with the same and stated that the team required more gap in order to get used to the bouncy conditions in South Africa.

"This time when the (Test) team leaves for South Africa, they will only get some time to prepare before playing the matches. The ODI team after that will also want to try to get seven to eight days because the conditions are different there, there is more bounce," the 36-year-old said.

Recently, Dhoni’s long-time teammate - both at India and Chennai Super Kings – Suresh Raina, on a candid talk show, ‘Breakfast with Champions’, revealed that Dhoni gets angry quite often. On being asked about the same, Dhoni replied, "We also enjoy inside the dressing room, we talk, the pitch-level is sometimes high and sometimes low. The meaning of cool that we associate is calm and if not cool then an angry one.

"There are many zones in the middle of it where you enjoy and make fun. Once (I am playing) in the ground, I do not joke around, but inside the dressing room I enjoy a lot. So, I conduct myself according to how I think I should conduct myself in different areas."

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