Every game is important and it's not about when you are playing it: MS Dhoni

Indian skipper M.S. Dhoni didn’t seem to be perturbed with the fact the New Zealand have an impeccable 3-0 record against India in T20 saying that his first big innings was at the same very venue, in reference to what became a launch-pad to a spiralling career, says a report in The Hindu, adding that ‘Captain Cool’ also differed on the pitch: “The wicket looks good, with the ball coming on to the bat while offering something for the bowlers too.”

Dhoni said that each game was important and that his team hoped to get into the groove for the World T20 and look to field the best side here. On differing ages in the team, Dhoni said performance would ultimately count. The slightly more experienced would look to cement their place in the side, not just in the T20 format but also hope to advance to the ODI and Tests as well.

Meanwhile The Times Of India reports that MS Dhoni is having the time of his life as it seems from the recent show of the Indian team. “He is back at his magical best as he marshalled the team to a comprehensive victory in the two-Test series against New Zealand. On Saturday, it's going to be a new battle as the teams clash in the first of the two T20s, in Visakhapatnam. Even as World T20 looms on the horizon, Dhoni wants to take it one match at a time and not look too far ahead,” writes TOI.

"Every game is important and it's not about when you are playing it. Just because we have the T20 World Cup after these two matches doesn't mean that these are very important. Every game is important in itself. It's one of those scenarios where instead of playing one game we are playing two games so you are more into it. It is an opportunity for the players to get into the groove and then go to the World Cup," Dhoni said.

With a couple of old-timers making a comeback, Dhoni said: "There is nothing called old players and young players. Once you perform it will be counted. The good thing is that these players will be slightly more experienced than other players. And they will also be hungry to cement their place in the side. Overall, it will be good for the players and the team."

With the World Cup round the corner, will the management try out new combinations? "It is the same team which will play the World T20 and there is nothing to try out. The best XI which suitable for these conditions will be picked up. There is nothing to experiment. We will stick to the best team," he added.

Meanwhile Dhoni’s counterpart Ross Taylor looked at his squad’s clean record a shade more realistically. “All those three wins were recorded outside India,” he said, suggesting it could be an altogether different ball game on the sub-continent’s strips. In home conditions, India was a team hard to beat, he felt.

“(Jacob) Oram and (Daniel) Vettori are pretty experienced with these and that would help,” said Taylor, adding later that with increased participation in the Indian Premier League, more New Zealanders were getting more familiar. “It has a flip side too in that the Indians know our game better,” he said.

Putting behind him the burden of two back-to-back defeats in the recent Test series, he said his boys looked forward to more ‘white-ball cricket. “We’ll try different combinations, not to experiment but to rest some of our players,” he countered when asked if their best side would be fielded.