Ravi Shastri

Puri: Former India captain and cricket manager Ravi Shastri, who keeps a sharp eye on developments, spoke to The Telegraph on the eve of Team India’s departure for Bangladesh. Shastri, incidentally, had been the cricket manager on our last tour there — May 2007.

The following are excerpts

Q After the euphoria over the Indian Premier League (IPL), the focus is back on Team India. What are your expectations from the Mahendra Singh Dhonis in the latest tri-series?

A We’ve got a very good one-day side and we should start as favourites... The IPL has helped fine-tune the players... They’ve been in the thick of action... Moreover, let’s not forget Team India won the last one-day tournament — the tri-series in Australia. That will remain a tremendous achievement.

But will there straightaway be enough interest in Fifty50 cricket?

That remains to be seen, but don’t forget there’s always enough interest in Team India... The IPL wouldn’t have affected that.

Do you too feel that one-day cricket needs to be recast?

My belief is that in the next 10-15 years, there’ll be only two forms of international cricket — the five-day Tests and Twenty20... The IPL has, I’m sure, opened the eyes of the world and one-day cricket will eventually be a thing of the past... Test cricket, though, will remain the supreme form... Twenty20 cricket will continue to bring in plenty of money, but the players will still see Test cricket as the ultimate form...

Getting back to Team India, is it the end of the road for Sourav Ganguly in ODIs?

It’s too early to say and there’s plenty of cricket being played... However, I’d pick a team keeping the future, particularly the 2011 World Cup, in mind... Unless there’s somebody who isn’t young, but is absolutely brilliant, I wouldn’t compromise... To make it to the one-day team, players need to be good in more than one area and running between wickets is absolutely critical... I’d be totally ruthless in building a team for the future.

With even Sachin Tendulkar not in the squad, do you think captain Dhoni will be under more pressure?

I don’t think so... He’s matured into a brilliant captain, one capable of handling situations... Dhoni’s definitely an established leader now.

[Dhoni’s Team India debut had been on the 2004-05 tour of Bangladesh. Specifically, during the ODI series, which was held after the Tests.]

What’s Dhoni’s USP?

He remains calm and collected, whatever the situation... He’s tactically sound and isn’t afraid to ask for the team he wants... Generally, he handles himself well and comes across as a nice package. He can, clearly, only improve as captain.

How many marks would you give him for the way he led the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL?

During the tournament itself, I’d told you that Dhoni and Shane Warne (Rajasthan Royals) were the best on view... Well, both were good till the end... I’m not saying one was better than the other... Dhoni had key players leaving him at important stages and, so, had to rebuild the team... He did well... Leading in the IPL, I’m sure, was an invaluable experience for him.

What about Dhoni’s deputy, Yuvraj Singh, who captained the Kings XI Punjab?

I’m sure he’s learnt a lot... He had Mahela (Jayawardene), Brett Lee and (Kumar) Sangakkara in his team and he would’ve learnt by interacting with them.

Who is the one Team India player you’ll be watching with interest in the tri-series?

Oh, it has to be Yusuf Pathan... He set the stands ablaze in the IPL and I’m confident he’ll do very well in the ODIs too...

Your first XI?

Look, most select themselves, but I wouldn’t like to commit myself without being certain of the conditions in Dhaka.

Aren’t you disappointed that rookie Manpreet Singh Gony, who made such an impact in the IPL, is in the squad only because Sreesanth is unfit?

Yes... I knew his time would come sooner rather than later and the bottomline is that he’ll soon be on the flight to Dhaka... Gony’s ready for international cricket and I wish him well.

The last one: Is there a message for Dhoni?

(Laughs) Keep up the good work and enjoy your cricket... Also, don’t lose sight of the fact that team goals are more important than individual ones.