Shastri: India have a flexible bowling strategy

Sudhir Gupta 10:33 26/09/2015
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  • Sizing up options: Shastri.

    India team director Ravi Shastri has insisted that the five-bowler theory adopted by the side in Test matches is not permanent and that strategies can change depending on the situation and opposition.

    Speaking ahead of South Africa’s tour of India, which starts on October 2 with the first of three T20s and includes five ODIs and four Tests, Shastri said the hosts will keep an open mind as far as plans are concerned.

    “No, it (five bowler theory) is not a permanent strategy. You have to respect the conditions. You cannot go in and say that ‘I am going to go with this team’. It will backfire on you if the conditions are totally different,” Shastri said on Friday.

    “So, you might need six batsmen, you might need four and a half bowlers, you might need just a bowler to do the job to give the main bowlers a rest. It is important to study the opposition you are up against and then decide what should be the best combination,” he added.

    Shastri added that the visiting South Africans are a formidable side despite the retirement of some big players like Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith.

    “It is like asking me about an Indian team without (Sachin) Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Anil Kumble – players will come and go, but you got to respect the fact that South Africa are the number one side,” Shastri said.

    “They play well in overseas conditions better than any other side. We know what we are up against. The respect is there but we will not take any backward steps,” he added.

    When asked if limited overs captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be as sharp upon his return to international cricket after a gap of three months, now that he has retired from Tests, Shastri said he was not concerned one bit.

    “No problem at all. You are talking about a seasoned campaigner, one of the legends,” Shastri said. “Everything fits into place automatically. For the team there is no difference. They played under him in the World Cup. The last time they played an ODI, they played under MS in Bangladesh. They are playing under a champion. What else do you want?”

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