We’re still missing an all-rounder: Dhoni

The lack of a bowling all-rounder has hurt India in the recent past,with the attack struggling to contain sides in the 20 powerplay overs.

Praveen Kumar hasn’t translated his domestic form into international runs and the team management is working hard at getting Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh to become regular contributors on the batting cards.

A peep into the South African squad and the abundance of fast-bowling all-rounders there could be one of the reasons for Dhoni’s revisiting the issue.

SA’s riches

Stand-in skipper Jacques Kallis,the team’s batting mainstay,still hits the 140kph regularly and to back him up,they have the likes of Albie Morkel,Wayne Parnell and Lonwabo Tsotsobe,besides having spin bowling all-rounders in Roelof van de Merwe and Johan Botha.

Morkel has won matches with his big-hitting instincts and thuds the ball at 90 mph on an average,while Parnell’s express pace and his ability to contribute substantially and consistently has helped the Proteas prosper.

Kallis feels it has been one of their biggest strengths. “We are fortunate to have a lot of all-rounders. You need them in ODIs. In one-dayers,you want to bat as deep as you can and we have been fortunate in that aspect. It is good to have plenty of bowling options.”