In the wake of the debate of appointing left-handed opener Gautam Gambhir as India Test captain, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni today said his former deputy relies more on aggressive techniques in the field and sometimes it also has its effects on the outcome of the matches. ‘Gambhir relies more on aggressive techniques in the field. He shows his emotions whenever he leads the side and also in his batting. Everyone has different temperaments. I don’t use the same kind of aggression, although being a hard-hitting batsman,’ Dhoni said on the sidelines of an event. The right-hander also praised the way Gambhir has led the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) side to the IPL crown this season with his aggressive leadership skills. ‘There’s no doubt on his batting skills.
But the way he has led the KKR to win the IPL is something extraordinary. He has been in pretty good nick of late and hope he continues with the momentum in the India matches,’ Dhoni said. Responding to a question on the proposed revival of Indo-Pak cricketing ties after Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Zaka Ashraf’s meeting with his counterpart of the Indian board, Dhoni said his team is always open to playing cricket against the arch-rivals.
‘We are always open to playing cricket against Pakistan. Its always a very high profile series with emotions running down from both sides of the border,’ he said. ‘Revival of Indo-Pak series is good for international cricket. We are still not sure about the schedule or the Future Tours Programme (FTP) of the ICC but we are certainly looking forward to it,’ he added. The Indian skipper also displayed his ignorance on England big-hitter Kevin Pietersen’s decision to quit the limited version of the game and instead concentrate on Test cricket. ‘I dont get the news but will really miss his batting in both 50-overs and T20s. He is a great batsman and I will miss him in the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Kevin had also batted really well for the Delhi Daredevils in the IPL,’ he said. Dhoni also congratulated grandmaster Vishwanathan Anand for winning the World Championship for the fifth time and hailed him as a pride of the nation. ‘Congratulations to Anand! My good wishes are always with him and his family. I am fortunate to meet him personally once. He is a great person and I would also like to wish his parents without whom we would not have got him. He is a pride of the entire nation,’ he said. UNI