Playing 4 pacers not an option: Dhoni

NAPIER: Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni refused to take a hard look at his spin twins after the first One-day game here at the McLean Park on Sunday afternoon, even though conditions clearly are not favourable for slow bowling.

"Two things happen whenever we play with four fast bowlers," he said, in a lighter vein. "One the captain gets banned, and two we lose. They are not good stats and I want to play in the series," he added, clearly suggesting that India have a better chance even on tours with their trusted 3-2 attack.

"It isn't an option," he stressed, underlining his strategy and stubbornness for the rest of the series. Ashwin went for 52 runs while Jadeja gave 61 in nine on a pitch that didn't take turn or allowed the ball to grip. "I think the spinners bowled pretty well. They didn't get wickets, but they built pressure which is also important," he argued. Dhoni, however, conceded that their roles will change when they play outside the sub continent. "As the home team will never make pitches that turn, they will have to keep varying pace and length," he said.

The captain, however, conceded that they haven't done well as a unit in the last six months. "We are batting well but not bowling so well." He also agreed that No. 4 and 5 have been a worry, with nobody showing signs of consistency.

He was full of praise for Virat Kohli though. "He is a free flowing batsman, and backs himself to play big shots. At the same time he knows what works for him."

His counterpart, Brendon McCullum, was understandably pleased with his team's fightback. "For a majority of the game, we were excellent. But when Virat and MS were putting together that partnership, we were slipping behind. But it's a funny game. You are only one or two wickets away from being right back in the driver's seat. Thankfully, we were able to get those wickets and finish off their batting."

Man of the match Corey Anderson tried to laugh off the suggestion that he could be the next big property in the Indian Premier League. "There will be speculation (about the IPL) and the auction's coming up soon. But I am focused on this Indian series."

He agreed that he couldn't expect a world record repeat. "When you do something like a Queenstown, you are only going to go downhill. So it was nice to come out here and put up a few runs. It was full credit to Kane and Roscoe for putting on that platform. The start makes my job and Ronchi's job pretty easy."

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Shweta Pandey

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