Keeping our bowlers injury free is important, states MS Dhoni

With plenty of experience as an Indian captain for a decade, MS Dhoni has led the national team to three titles in ICC events – T20 World Cup, 50-over World Cup and Champions Trophy. Now, his experience will certainly come in handy for the Indian side under the leadership of Virat Kohli for the World Cup to be played in England next year. There are five months to go before the commencement of the prestigious event and the Men in Blue are scheduled to play 13 ODIs before that. 

MS Dhoni spoke about India’s preparations during a chat show organised by Star Sports at a book launch event in Chennai on Friday. Former India captains Kapil Dev, Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble were also present at the event along with N Srinivasan.

"Keeping our bowlers injury free is important. If you rest them, the first thing commentators say is they are rusty, and if you make them play, then is he not too fresh. So we have to find that fine balance even though it might be a bit difficult to manage," Dhoni said during the event, reported TOI.

"What will be crucial for us is to play the World Cup like a bilateral event. We shouldn't think of it as the World Cup."

There has been a lot of talk going around on resting the Indian pacers during Indian Premier League which is scheduled to take place right before the World Cup. With a lot of cricket coming up in 2019, the fast bowlers need ample rest. Anil Kumble stressed the fact that the top bowlers can be rested in some IPL games. On the other hand, Dhoni opined that the bowlers can play the entire league before the World Cup.

"One of the most important parts of preparation will be keeping yourself (players) fresh as there is a lot of cricket coming up from now till the start of the World Cup. Maybe resting some of the top bowlers in a few of the IPL games is an option. Even though franchises might not like that or want to rest them, it has to be considered for India's sake," Kumble explained.

"Bowling four overs won't make you tired. The four overs actually keeps you at your best, you are bowling the yorkers, bowling the variation and playing under pressure. I feel the bowlers can still play the whole of the IPL but what they need to manage is what they eat, when they sleep and wake up. I would like them to be at their best when it comes to the skill factor. I always felt IPL was the best time to get in shape because I had a lot of time. I was playing only three and a half hours every third day and it gave me time to spend in the gym," Dhoni said.

In the batting department, the Indian team management is still unsure about the middle-order. As the top three batsmen in the side are quite set to make a mark in the tournament, the middle-order is still unsettled.  Dhoni explained that the entire team should perform and that is why the middle-order should also get a chance to bat. 

"Our top order has done very well in limited overs since 2015 and not many chances were given to middle order. So one of the crucial things will be what we can do so that our middle order also gets a chance to bat. You want the entire team to perform well," Dhoni concluded.