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Big Picture

In their last 10 completed ODIs on the road, Australia have won one game, against Ireland in September 2016. Never in their ODI history have Australia had a 10% win rate over a similar sample size. Where has it gone so wrong? With Tests preferred over bilateral ODI series, key personnel have consistently been rotated, and while it may keep the players fresh, it has had a regressing effect on the set-up of the team.Australia’s troubles against spin were exacerbated in a 3-0 drubbing against Sri Lanka in the Tests in July 2016. In their subsequent Test series in India and Bangladesh, there were discernible signs of improvement, but they were by Australia’s most technically efficient batsmen. For the ODIs, Australia have sacrificed technique for run-scoring ability, and that trade-off – whether apt or not – proved counter-productive in the first game in Chennai. Wristpinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav exerted absolute control over Australia’s batsmen apart from Glenn Maxwell.With their recent form, India were a confident team coming into this series. That morale may have climbed another level after they recovered from 11 for 3 to post 281, and subsequently defended a revised target of 163 with little trouble. In Hardik Pandya, India have found a fifth bowler who isn’t a weak link and a No. 7 who has the maturity and arrogance to weather tough periods and then take on long, straight boundaries even with a trap set just for that.

Form guide

India WWWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia LLLLW

In the spotlight

Every ODI team, apart from Bangladesh, has a wristspinner in, or close to, their best XI. Playing wristspinners is advantageous not only because batsmen struggle to differentiate between their stock ball and their variations, but also due to the extra bounce that they generate, making the sweep a risky get-out-of-jail shot. That was evident when Chahal and Kuldeep ran through Australia’s middle order in Chennai. Ahead of the series, captain Steven Smith said the surfaces wouldn’t spin as much, which presents batsmen an arguably tougher challenge to preserve their wickets.Australia’s genuine fast bowlers, Pat Cummins and Nathan Coulter-Nile, troubled India’s top order with pace and lateral movement in Chennai. In the last ODI in Kolkata, England’s seamers also enjoyed a rare quick surface. Coulter-Nile also has the experience of playing at Eden Gardens, having taken eight wickets in four IPL games at the venue for Kolkata Knight Riders.

Team news

India’s only question lies in their middle order. Will they stick with Manish Pandey, who was dismissed for a two-ball duck in Chennai?India (probable): 1 Ajinkya Rahane, 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Manish Pandey/KL Rahul, 5 Kedar Jadhav, 6 MS Dhoni (wk), 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Jasprit BumrahAustralia’s batting issues have caused them plenty of distress already. Debutant Hilton Cartwright, Travis Head, Marcus Stoinis and Matthew Wade failed miserably in Chennai. An alternative option is Peter Handscomb, who has shown he could be Australia’s long-term No. 4 in Tests, and has the technique and ability to score quickly. Stoinis struggled to pick wristpin, but bowled tidily, which could help him retain his spot.Australia (probable): 1 David Warner, 2 Travis Head, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 Peter Handscomb, 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 James Faulkner, 9 Nathan Coulter-Nile, 10 Pat Cummins, 11 Adam ZampaAFP

Pitch and conditions

Heavy rains in the lead-up to the ODI have hampered the preparation of the pitch, which has remained primarily under covers. There is a forecast for thunderstorms on Thursday afternoon.On the eve of the match, Smith noted that the pitch had a bit of grass on it, “probably more than I’ve seen in India for a while”. This suggests it could play true to its recent reputation of aiding seam more than spin. Remember Royal Challengers Bangalore’s 49 all out? The short boundaries, though, could level out the balance between bat and ball.

Stats and trivia

• Rohit Sharma has scored 794 runs at an average of 113.42 and a strike rate of 99.87 across formats (first-class, List A and T20) in his last nine innings at Eden Gardens.
• In ODIs and T20Is, Hardik Pandya hits a six every 6.4 balls against spin, the best frequency for any batsman. Of his 19 sixes, 14 have been struck straight, in the arc between long-on and long-off
• Seamers took 61 wickets at a strike rate of 16.4 in the previous IPL season in Kolkata, while spinners picked up 24 wickets at a strike rate of 23.
• The average score in the last five ODIs at Eden Gardens is 311.

Quotes

“I don’t think I’m in a bad place with my captaincy. Obviously results haven’t been the way we would have liked and that’s something we are trying to rectify.”

Rachel Priest struck a powerful century•Getty Images

Centurion Rachel Priest and captain Heather Knight led Western Storm to a record-breaking Kia Super League win over Yorkshire Diamonds at York as they chased down 161 to win by 10 wickets with three overs to spare.New Zealander Priest led the way with some fearsome hitting, albeit taking advantage of a bit of luck along the way as the Diamonds spilt a couple of boundary chances.She finished with 106 not out off 65 balls and Knight unbeaten on 48 off 38. The pair shared the highest stand in two seasons of the KSL.A second win from three matches puts Storm level on eight points with the Diamonds in third place with a game in hand in the race to reach Finals Day.Home captain Lauren Winfield, batting in her home city, had earlier posted 58 off 44 balls as England’s World Cup winning hero Anya Shrubsole returned to action following a side injury with 1 for 30 from four overs.Despite the early loss of Sri Lankan Chamari Atapattu, run out by a direct hit at the non-striker’s end from Stefanie Taylor from mid-on, the Diamonds got off to a healthy as another Kiwi Sophie Devine cut loose with 41.Devine hit offspinner Claire Nicholas for two big sixes over long-on and midwicket as the score reached 55 for 1 after five.Devine played on trying to hoist Shrubsole to leg with 75 on the board in the eighth over before Winfield, happy to take few risks, reached 50 off 38 balls in the 16th over as the score reached 132 for 3.The Diamonds then lost four wickets for 19 in the last three overs, the first of which was Winfield bowled by a Davies slower ball, to slip from 141 for 3.Hollie Armitage then dropped a couple of catches at long-on, with Priest on 25 being the most costly.Her 39-ball fifty included two sixes over long-on, the second off compatriot Devine’s first ball in the tenth over as Storm reached halfway at 81 without loss. Fours and sixes continued to come at ease as Yorkshire’s heads dropped.Priest reached her century off 64 balls, the second in KSL history, with 13 fours and three sixes with the penultimate ball of the match.Storm’s next fixture is against Surrey at the Oval on Wednesday, while Yorkshire’s final game comes against Southern Vipers at Arundel on Saturday.

ScorecardJoe Leach’s early spell set an impressive tone for Worcestershire•Getty Images

Worcestershire’s bowlers bounced back in impressive style from their weekend semi-final mauling in dismissing Kent for 260 on day one of the Specsavers County Championship promotion battle at New Road.But then Kent responded themselves with the ball despite a boundary-laced cameo from England all-rounder Moeen Ali as Worcestershire closed on 95 for 3.The home side, who conceded 363 runs in the Royal London One-Day Cup clash with Surrey, may have feared the worse after Kent skipper Sam Northeast won the toss on a good batting wicket in the blazing heat.Skipper Joe Leach and 19-year-old Josh Tongue in particular impressed with the ball and Kent, despite lower order resistance from Matt Coles and Adam Rouse, would have been disappointed to be bowled out in 73.1 overs.All of their batsmen except openers Daniel Bell-Drummond and Sean Dickson got into double figures but no-one went past 50.As well as Leach and Tongue bowled, some of the shot selection of the Kent batsmen was questionable and their score was below-par.Leach bowled an inspired opening spell and sent back openers Bell-Drummond and Dickson during an initial burst of 7-3-7-2.Bell-Drummond nicked through to Daryl Mitchell at first slip and then Dickson tried to work the ball on the leg side and the ball struck his pads and bounced onto the stumps.Joe Denly drove Ed Barnard straight to Brett D’Oliveira at point and then Tongue bowled a fiery spell after lunch which accounted for Northeast and Will Gidman.In between Joe Weatherley wafted at a wide Leach and was caught behind and then Darren Stevens flat batted John Hastings straight into the hands of deep extra cover.Kent were then 139 for 7 but resistance came at last from Coles and Rouse who opted to counter-attack in adding 79 in 16 overs.It needed the return of Tongue to break the stand shortly before tea as Rouse provided Mitchell with a third catch and then Coles played back to Moeen Ali and was lbw.Leach finished with 3 for 42 to take his season’s wicket tally to 36 and Tongue, in his first season of senior cricket, 3 for 56 to move onto 24 victims.The wickets were soon tumbling when Worcestershire launched their reply and D’Oliveira failed to trouble the scorers before he was pouched at second slip off Stevens.Moeen was ultra aggressive in his approach with nine fours in his 37 off just 16 balls, a mixture of glorious cover drives and edges which just eluded the slip cordon.But then he fell for the three card trick and was caught at deep midwicket off Coles who then had opener Mitchell taken at third slip.The positive aspect for Worcestershire was Joe Clarke looking like he was returning to form during an unbeaten 34.He received good support from George Rhodes, in his first senior appearance of the season during an unbroken stand of 47.

Kagiso Rabada, the South Africa fast bowler who will miss next week’s second Test at Trent Bridge, is said to be “heartbroken” to have let down his team, according to his team-mate Temba Bavuma, after he was served with an automatic suspension by the ICC for accumulating four demerit points.Rabada earned one demerit point for swearing at Ben Stokes after dismissing him for 56 in England’s first innings, on top of three he already had for a shove on Sri Lanka’s Niroshan Dickwella in an ODI in January.”KG is quite an emotional character,” said Bavuma. “The way he acted – he didn’t act like that on purpose. He was aware of the consequences. It was just in the heat of the moment. He is quite heartbroken as he feels he has let down the team.”On the thorny issue of sledging, Bavuma added: “It’s something I have had to endure from schoolboy cricket days. I see it as part and parcel of cricket.”There’s a fine balance that needs to be achieved. You don’t want it to be completely taken away but you still want the respect of the game to be there. A balance needs to be achieved.”The ICC’s code of conduct has come under scathing criticism from former South Africa captain Graeme Smith who disagreed strongly with the decision.Though Smith understood the sanction was based on collective, not isolated incidents, he did not think the expletive uttered by Rabada, which was picked up on the stump mic, should have been punished that harshly.”It’s ridiculous,” Smith told ESPNcricinfo. “No-one wrote about it, no-one spoke about it. It was only because it was on the stump mic that it’s become a thing.”The incident occurred on the opening day of the first Test at Lord’s when Rabada dismissed Stokes and told him to “f*** off”, something Smith thought was not serious enough to earn Rabada another demerit point.”It could have been handled better. I don’t think it was aimed at Ben Stokes. I just think it was out of frustration. If it wasn’t picked up by the stump mics he wouldn’t have been done,” Smith said on .”There is obviously a line that the ICC have drawn and we need to stay on the right side of it,” said England’s James Anderson.”When I watch games, I like having the stump mic there. It’s the players’ duty to be aware that is there and they turn it up quite loud sometimes.”

Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur has insisted both he and chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq have the same expectations over player fitness after Umar Akmal was axed from the Champions Trophy squad a week before the tournament.Akmal had been omitted from the West Indies tour when he was the one player from a group of 31 who failed to meet fitness standards. He then made it into the final 15-man squad for the Champions Trophy at the last minute after clearing a fitness test supervised by Inzamam at the National Cricket Academy. However, shortly after arriving in England, he failed two further tests overseen by Arthur and was dispatched back to Pakistan.Arthur, addressing the issue for the first time in the tournament, said there was no question of any part of the Pakistan management accepting different standards of fitness.”Inzi and myself are on exactly the same page,” he said in Cardiff ahead of Pakistan’s decisive group match against Sri Lanka. “In terms of that test, I’m not sure how that happened. We were always going to test the guys here so every guy who is now here is fine. Inzi has bought into exactly what we want to do so there’s no disconnect between us at all, we are on the same page.”Arthur struck an exasperated tone when talking specifically of Akmal, whose ODI career has stalled on 116 matches since the tour of Australia. “It was incredibly disappointing with Umar Akmal because he didn’t tour West Indies for the same reason. I would have thought in that month that he would have done something.”He’s just got to get out there and do it. All the players know what the standards are and they need to do it because it’s a culture we are trying to develop. It doesn’t happen overnight. The standards are going to go up and up. There has to be that culture of hard work, commitment and dedication because that shows us players really want to play.”At the time of Akmal being removed from the squad, Inzamam said: “We had a set a fitness standard which isn’t really a tough one to start with. But he still didn’t meet the average level. So whoever the player is, whatever his performance is like, we could not select him. Akmal being dropped is a reprimand and it’s a major blow for any player. He is a good player, we needed him, but we had to take a decision.”Asked about the fitness levels on show at the Champions Trophy, Arthur said: “It’s one the things we work tirelessly on and we are going in the right direction.”

Tim Bresnan has more reasons than most of his team-mates to be grateful for the startling emergence of Ben Coad in Yorkshire’s fast-bowling ranks – because Coad’s success has allowed him to concentrate on his burgeoning role as one of the club’s senior batsmen.Coad, 23, had played just one County Championship fixture prior to the start of the 2017 campaign, but already he has picked up 18 wickets in two matches this season – including 6 for 37 in a hard-fought defeat against Hampshire, followed by a match haul of 10 for 102 that helped to crush Warwickshire by an innings and 88 runs a few days ago.And for Bresnan, who bowled a grand total of 9.1 overs across two innings at Edgbaston, that meant a welcome chance to settle into his “armchair”, as he put it, at first slip and take pleasure in the success of a player who – alongside Matt Fisher, the highly rated England Under-19 quick – could prove to be a pillar of Yorkshire’s fast-bowling ranks for years to come.”He’s been in the twos for the last two or three years,” Bresnan told ESPNcricinfo during the launch of the Royal London One-day Cup at Lord’s. “He’s always been there or thereabouts, but he’s gone away this winter and worked on his skills, and you can see he’s improved so much.”I think that’s the thing that Andrew Gale and Rich Pyrah have brought in in the coaching staff. They’ve given the young guys a lot of direction and a lot of clarity on roles, how they see them and how they need to improve. And he’s gone away and implemented everything.”And Bresnan himself seems pretty clear about where his current priorities lie. At the age of 32, his England days are almost certainly behind him – three elbow operations, the most recent of which took place in October, have shaved off those extra yards of pace that made him a world-class asset during his zenith in the 2010-11 Ashes. But, on the flip side, his promotion in recent seasons to Yorkshire’s top six has given his career a whole new purpose.”I’ve always been able to bat,” Bresnan said, and with good reason. Despite rarely featuring above No. 8 in his England days, he averaged a healthy 26.13 in 23 Tests, with three fifties including a vital 90 against India at Trent Bridge in 2011.”The main difference between now and then is opportunity. I got an opportunity to bat further up, at No. 6 and 5 last year. That’s where I should always have been batting [for Yorkshire], but it’s obviously difficult as a frontline seamer to do that. You come off having bowled 25-30 overs in the first innings, and if you lose a few quick ones you’ve already got your pads on. That’s not where you want to be.”But now that my bowling’s been scaled back, and we’ve got young guns coming through, it’s a lot easier for me to put the flats on and stand in the armchair at first slip, watching the young kids go, and bowl the overs my body allows me to do and the captain wants of me.”I’m finding that role a lot more enjoyable. Bowling nine overs in a County Championship game last week was absolutely perfect, I’m not going to lie! Mainly because Ben Coad got six-for and five-for, so if that keeps happening, that’s all good.”Despite launching the 2017 season with a pair against Hampshire, Bresnan resumed normal batting service with a solid 61 in Yorkshire’s only innings at Edgbaston. But if there was one innings that truly dispelled any doubts about his ability as a top-order stalwart, it came at Lord’s last September, at the climax of a thrilling Championship race.Tim Bresnan’s unbeaten 142 at Lord’s was one of the innings of 2016•Getty Images

With Yorkshire and Middlesex locked in a winner-takes-all showdown, and with Somerset keeping their own hopes alive with a comfortable victory over Nottinghamshire, word came through to Bresnan on the second afternoon that his team needed to reach 350 and a fourth of batting point to have any chance to staying in the race.His response was a brilliantly serene 142 not out that eased them past that first objective with the No. 11 Ryan Sidebottom for company. And though Yorkshire came up short on the final day, he top-scored with 55 in their failed run-chase too.”I’m pretty comfortable with my cricket at the minute,” he said. “I just try and do what the team need me to do, and on that occasion someone had to step up. I was the one in and going okay when we were told ‘this is what we need, boys’. I just thought, right, I’ll set my stall out to get there.”Three-fifty is what we needed to be able to win the Championship and, if we didn’t get that, we couldn’t win it, so it was an easy equation. And if you give me an easy equation, they’re a lot easier than the hard ones!”Despite that disappointment of missing out on a hat-trick of titles, not to mention the departure at the end of the season of their inspirational head coach, Jason Gillespie, Bresnan is in no doubt that Yorkshire are ready to pick themselves up and go again this season.”The disappointment from last year is only going to drive us forward to do a little bit better this year, and hopefully win it,” he said. “We got the continuity from Galey being captain and moving straight into the coaching staff. That was seamless. You don’t notice the fact that Dizzy isn’t there, even though he was so good for us, because Galey and him worked so closely together, and a lot of what he was doing while captain that was kind of a coaching role already.”In fact, Gale (who, coincidentally, is also Bresnan’s brother-in-law) may have played a small part in bringing out the best in Bresnan’s batting back in 2015, when he suggested that he had the technique and drive to keep playing into his 40s, if he applied himself to what was then still his second string.”That’d be the dream I reckon,” Bresnan agreed. “Bat five, bowl a few overs of offspin … I look at players who do that with a lot of envy, it seems like a bit of a gravy train. But nah, I’m still only 32, I’ve still got a lot of overs left to bowl with seam, so I’ll do whatever job the team requires, whether that’s bat five or six and take the new ball, or come on as fourth seamer. I’ll do whatever, really.”

South Africa were thrown off guard by a 59th-over ball change in Hamilton, according to Morne Morkel. New Zealand were building steadily in the middle session, on 163 for 1 when umpires Bruce Oxenford and Rod Tucker ordered a ball change, having felt the ball had gone out of shape. South Africa had been getting some reverse and were clearly unhappy with the change, and the replacement – with the changed ball they conceded 80 runs in the next 21 overs, as Kane Williamson took control.”It was at a crucial stage. We had just got the ball to reverse. From a mental point of view, it cost us about 15 overs to get back into the game,” Morkel said. “For me, it’s a grey area because when they change the ball, they pick a ball for you. For me that doesn’t add up. I would rather they give the fielding team three balls to pick from. But then I am also blaming my tools and I can’t do that.”Instead, Morkel gave full credit to Williamson, who transferred pressure back onto South Africa and marshalled Jeet Raval to a career-best 88. “Kane plays length very well. Anything with slight width, he will cut and play square. Then if you go that touch fuller, especially on this sort of surface, it’s easy. The margins are very small to him,” Morkel said. “The short ball is always key, but here with the surface on the slower side, it’s not such a big threat, so guys can just wait for that fullish delivery. He can bat time and that’s the sort of thing that bowlers don’t like.”Before the series began, South Africa had identified Williamson’s importance and they have duly been on the receiving end of two centuries in this series. Raval indicated his captain still has more to offer. “He is one of the best players we’ve got, if not the best,” Raval said. “The way he goes about his business is awesome. He is never satisfied with 100, or 150, he wants to get big runs and help the team. I was lucky that I was batting at the other end and got to pick his brain a little bit.”Raval on his mammoth partnership with Williamson: ‘I felt like a clown batting with the master at the other end’•Getty Images

Raval shared a record second-wicket stand with Williamson against South Africa, of 190, but could not add a personal milestone of his own. After five fifties, he has yet to convert to a ton and said his attempt this time was the most difficult. “It’s a world-class bowling attack. You are made to work hard for every single run. It wasn’t easy out there. I felt like a clown batting with the master at the other end,” Raval said. “That’s what Test cricket is about – it’s challenging and it never gets easier. Every time you score a run – it’s bloody hard work. You have to deny them for as long as possible, and then hopefully they come to you and you score runs.”Although Raval had the best mentor he could have asked for urging him on, a second-new ball proved too much for the opener. Yet he remained proud of his efforts. “You go through periods where you are doubting yourself or second-guessing yourself. Kane came down and said ‘stick to your game plans and your routines’. That just calms you down. He could see a couple of times when I was getting ahead of myself,” Raval said. “To watch him bat at the other end was unbelievable and to get the partnership with him was outstanding.”Once South Africa broke that stand, they took two more quick wickets but, with Williamson still there, they would consider themselves to be on the back foot, irrespective of what ball they hold. “There’s only one team under pressure now and that’s us,” Morkel said. “We need to come with the right attitude tomorrow. We know they are going to come really hard at us in the second innings to get the win. It’s a nice way for us mentally, we speak about being mentally strong. It would be a great way for us to finish the season if we can hang on.”

West Indies allrounder Marlon Samuels has been cleared to resume bowling in international cricket by the ICC. Samuels was banned from bowling at the international level for 12 months in December 2015, after his action was found to be illegal for a second time in 24 months.The offspinner’s action could be reassessed by the ICC only after the 12-month period ended, and Samuels underwent tests on January 29 at the ICC-accredited testing centre in Loughborough. According to an ICC release, the tests revealed the elbow flex for his offspin deliveries was within the permitted 15-degree limit.If the umpires find issues with his action going forward, they can report him again, and then he will require further analysis of his action by the ICC. Umpires will be provided with images and video footage of his reworked bowling action, the ICC said, to help them judge his action in games.Samuels was reported during the Galle Test against Sri Lanka in October 2015, and subsequent tests revealed he was breaching the 15-degree limit. That was the third time Samuels’ action had been reported; the first instance was in 2008, when he was called for a suspect faster ball after the third Test against South Africa in Durban. He was later suspended from bowling in international cricket but after remedial work on his action, was permitted to bowl in September 2011. Then, once again, he was reported during the Mumbai Test against India in November 2013. Following tests, he was allowed to bowl the offbreak delivery but not his quicker ball.Samuels last played for West Indies against Pakistan on the tour of the UAE in September-November 2016. He was left out of the squad for the tri-series in Zimbabwe that followed. West Indies’ next assignment is the home ODI series against England, starting from March 3.

ScorecardLasith Malinga struck in his first over on his return from injury•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

Adam Voges, the captain of Prime Minister’s XI, struck an unbeaten 54 off 31 balls in his final match against an international team, but Sri Lankan XI crashed his farewell by chasing down 170 with five wickets and 17 balls to spare.After being inserted in Canberra, the hosts lost opener D’Arcy Short in the first over to Lasith Malinga, who was playing his first competitive match since the Asia Cup in February 2016 . Joe Burns and Hilton Cartwright did not last long too but fifties from Sam Heazlett, who made his international debut for Australia in New Zealand last month, and Adam Voges boosted the side with counterattacking half-centuries. Heazlett struck four fours and thee sixes, while Voges hit four fours and a six during his unbeaten knock. Cameos from wicketkeeper Alex Carey and offspinner Arjun Nair helped take the score to 169.Vikum Sanjaya, who is uncapped at the international level, staked his claim for a spot in Sri Lanka’s XI in the first T20I against Australia on Friday with 3 for 26.Niroshan Dickwella and Upul Tharanga then slashed 70 runs off the target by the end of the Powerplay. The stand ended when Nair had Dickwella caught behind for 47. Upul Tharanga, who was assisted by useful contributions from Dilshan Munaweera (32) and Milinda Siriwardana (25), stayed till the end to guide his team home.

Former India captain MS Dhoni has said his successor Virat Kohli would go on to win more games than he did, and that his team would “rewrite history” and become the most successful India side of all time.”That’s the kind of potential they have, that’s the kind of experience they have,” Dhoni said in Pune, in the lead up to the ODI series against England, Kohli’s first assignment as full time limited-overs captain. “If it is [about] the numbers, I think Virat and this team will win more games than me in all the formats.”Since Kohli took over the Test captaincy from Dhoni in January 2015, India won 14 out of 21 games, their lone defeat coming nearly a year and a half ago. During the same period India, under Dhoni, had a patchy ODI record – 15 losses in 33 matches – but did better in T20Is – 15 wins in 23 games. They also made the semi-finals of both the 2015 World Cup and the 2016 World T20.Kohli, R Ashwin, Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammad Shami had played crucial roles in those successes. All of them – apart from Ashwin – are under 30.”Though they are young, they have played a lot of cricket both in India and outside, and in pressure situations,” Dhoni said. “They have played in knockout tournaments – when it comes to the ODI and the T20 formats – and they have played under pressure. We’ve played a lot of Tests in India but they were not easy Test matches – we played on a lot of turning wickets where the lower order’s contribution was very important.”The whole pool of players seems to be one that will play cricket in the right spirit, the way it is supposed to be. I think they will do something very special in the coming years. Of course, the period will be slightly longer because they will be together for a long period. So, hopefully, with no injuries or serious problems to the core members of the group, they will do very well.”Dhoni said he and Kohli had hit it off from the start and praised Kohli for constantly raising the bar for himself.Dhoni on Kohli: “What’s brilliant is that if I go up to him with 100 ideas, he is comfortable saying no to all of them …”•AFP

“In Indian cricket, we’ve seen more often than not that a lot of cricketers, say, when they get five games and if they are out of the side, they’re always worried about the two games they didn’t get,” Dhoni said. “The best part about Virat is he wanted to improve in whatever chances he got. And that is the reason he is so successful right now.”If he scores a 60 or 70, he wanted to score a 100. He wanted to be there at the crease when India are chasing. So, I felt that was the key factor for me, and right from the start we have interacted a lot. He has improvised his cricket and his thinking.”Dhoni said Kohli would find the shorter formats easier as captain. “With more responsibility on him, he’ll keep getting better. My job will be to give him whatever my thoughts are from behind the stumps – reading the batsman, how they’re batting, what their strengths are, how the bowler is bowling.”What’s brilliant is that if I go up to him with 100 ideas, he is comfortable saying no to all of them because that’s what his responsibility is: to pick and choose what he’s really convinced about. I think that kind of relationship is very important because I shouldn’t feel, ‘Okay, if I am saying something, that should happen’, and he shouldn’t feel as if whatever is coming from my side, has to be implemented.”As captain, Dhoni hd moved up and down the batting order to suit the team’s interests. He did not think that would change under Kohli’s leadership.”Because I was the captain, I always felt because it was difficult for newcomers to come and bat at six or seven, I should be the person who takes that added responsibility of playing lower down the order,” he said. “I would’ve preferred batting at four and playing more overs, but felt it was more important to see if somebody else can bat at four and if I can bat at five, and that gives more power to our batting line-up.”At times, I found individuals can be very rigid. It is very difficult to adjust to that new mindset or change the game the way it is supposed to be played according to the team or that slot. I thought I was somebody who could do that and I was willing to do that for the team. It is the same as of now. If I am supposed to bat at Nos. 4,5,6,7, whatever the demand is for the team’s betterment, I am ready to bat there.”