Difficult to accomodate Yuvraj in the top 4: Dhoni

The execution of plans couldn't have gone better for India than the way it panned out in Ranchi. The promotion of Hardik Pandya ahead of Dhoni in the middle overs worked splendidly and so did the move to open with R Ashwin. It wasn't surprising then that MS Dhoni was in a jolly mood during the post-match press conference.

There was the added joy of being back at home as well. "It's good to spend a couple of days more with your family," said Dhoni at the presser in the JSCA stadium in Ranchi.

He was the cynosure of all eyes and was mobbed for photographs all along the way and the skipper did well to acknowledge them all. The ground has been a happy hunting ground for India as well. "This is a young venue. There haven't been many matches here. Whenever there have been matches here, India has done well. That's a big positive," he said. Talking about positives for India, one of them was Hardik Pandya's quick cameo.

It helped Dhoni that the openers had already got India off to a blistering start. So there was room for such experimentation in this game despite the pressing need to win and keep the series alive. Dhoni explains that it will be an ongoing process until the World T20.

"It was an opportunity for him (Pandya) to see international cricket closely. This is what he is known for. He can go in and play the big shots straightaway. So in the coming games we would like to give every player some kind of batting. So that going into the T20 World Cup, everyone has some kind of exposure when it comes to batting. Bowling everyone will get a chance to bowl. A lot of times you always experiment with bowling. What happens with batting is that you want to win games and you also want to give an individual a far amount of time in the middle. It does not always go with the plan. Definitely in the coming games, if there is a chance of exposing someone to this kind of an exposure so that going into the T20 World Cup they know what their roles and responsibilities are," he said.

Another thing that has been paying off well for the Indian team is the emergence of Jasprit Bumrah as a bowler who can bowl at the death. Today he wasn't required until much of the work was done but Bumrah still made an impact by picking up a couple of wickets. "Always whenever you come for a press conference, this is one topic that gets raised - about our death bowling, bowlers who can bowl yorkers. The good thing with Bumrah is he has a bit of pace. He does not have a normal action, batsmen take time to get used to him. The same time his execution of yorkers is very good. Definitely a big positive," said Dhoni.

With India displaying a tendency to experiment with the batting order, the question of extending a similar chance to Yuvraj Singh also arose. Yuvraj came in after Dhoni today, at No 7 and lasted just a ball. For Dhoni, the possibility of giving Yuvraj a chance ahead of the top four seemed tricky. "If you look at the openers(Yuvraj can't bat there), No 3 is Virat Kohli, No 4 is Suresh Raina. If you look at these four, their record in India and overseas is extraordinary. It becomes slightly difficult. Yes Yuvraj Singh is back in the team. We wish to give him more batting. Since I have played with Yuvi a lot, it is difficult for him to come in straight away and start hitting in the 17th or 18th over. He's like a proper batsman who can hit," said Dhoni but added that there will be chances for the southpaw in the upcoming games.

The pitch is Ranchi was in complete contrast to the one at Pune. Dhoni felt that it 'was a good wicket'. However Thisara Perera, who picked up a hat-trick and didn't know about it until much later, had other ways to describe it. "The pitch looked like glass for the first 10 overs. After that it was a bit slow. Second innings was really slow and Ashwin bowled very well," he said.

Perera placed the blame on the bowlers for allowing the Indian batsmen to get away. One of them who took the game away completely in the first few overs was Shikhar Dhawan and Dhoni was full of praise for the opener's ability to rein himself in.

"He is playing proper shots. At the same time he is not trying to over-hit. The good thing with him is he is getting a boundary in the first couple of balls in the over so that he doesn't need to take the risk later. At times in the shorter format when you get boundaries you often try to be always in the fifth gear. What is important is to see how many runs are good enough. If you have already got 10 runs in the over, 12 in an over, and if the ball is not there, you don't really need to manufacture a shot. Everybody has shots that are their good shots, that they can always play. He doesn't need to manufacture shots. This is what he did really well.

More often than not as an opener you have to take the risk but once it pays off it is important to go back and play your natural game. At the same time if the ball is there, because there is pressure on the bowler to execute their plans," he said.

There was a bit of characteristic banter from Dhoni as well. When asked about the absence of the helicopter shot from his armoury here's what he had to say:"Helicopter has to take-off at a particular place. If you go to the sea in a submarine, it will be difficult for the helicopter to take off. You have to see what are the plans. Helicopter shot is a shot played to a particular delivery. if that delivery is not bowled, I cannot play a helicopter shot against a bouncer. Maybe I can take a stool and play the helicopter shot but as of now looking at the strategy of the opposition, it is difficult to play that shot. If someone is bowling a wide yorker outside off and if I try playing it on the legside then it is of no use."

Dhoni sure has reason to be cheerful with many pieces of the jigsaw puzzle falling into place slowly. They will head to Vizag for the decider with renewed confidence.