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Journalism of Courage
Mahendra Singh Dhoni today defended beleaguered speedster Zaheer Khan,calling him the “Sachin Tendulkar of Indian bowling,” while indicating there would be a few changes in the team line-up for the last World T20 group match against England on Sunday.
“It’s easier to go after a bowler when he is not doing well. For me,Zaheer is the Sachin Tendulkar of the Indian bowling attack. He has been the leader of the bowling unit for a number of years now,” Dhoni said ahead of the England tie.
“He might not have been so effective in the last few matches but in those situations others need to step up. I believe it’s a matter of time for him to get back to form,” he added.
However,Dhoni looked a little circumspect when asked whether he would remain a ‘Zaheer backer’ even if the bowler’s bad patch is a prolonged one. “It’s a difficult question to answer. Obviously,it depends on the format. For me,he is an experienced cricketer but then you have to look at the format. In this format you don’t get too many matches.”
Broad focussed on strengths
However,England skipper Stuart Broad played down what is widely seen as India’s weakness their bowling attack,which also struggles to contrain runs in the death overs.
“We would rather concentrate on our strengths. I don’t think it’s as weak as it is being made out to be. They have some experienced bowlers but they have a very strong batting line-up. They have players who can be dangerous if they are allowed to get set. Obviously,we have watched the match against Afghanistan and we have some strategy for them.”
Broad seemed pleasantly surprised at the nature of the Sri Lankan wickets which has more bounce and carry nowadays than in the recent past. “It’s good that it’s helping the fast bowlers. The other day,I watched Kallis’s spell against Zimbabwe and was pretty impressed seeing the carry as well as some of the deliveries that skidded off the surface. Hopefully,once we are in Pallekele for our Super Eights,we would be able to exploit those conditions.”
