Jadeja needs to contribute more with bat: Dhoni

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Wednesday said Ravindra Jadeja has the potential to evolve into a genuine all-rounder but the youngster needs to contribute more with the bat.

Jadeja, who was dismissed for a first-ball duck in Tuesday's league match against Sri Lanka, has mostly contributed with the ball.

But Dhoni wants him to show some spark with the bat as well as he feels Jadeja was picked primarily as a batting all-rounder.

"Jadeja needs to contribute more with bat. When he came into the team he was more of a batsman who could bowl. But now he has turned into more of a specialist bowler. He bowls at the death, he bowls in the Powerplays.

"So, I think he is the best potential we can turn into an all-rounder," Dhoni said ahead of Thursday's final in which India play Sri Lanka.

The wicketkeeper-batsman said not having an all-rounder in the team is a big concern.

"The lack of an all-rounder is a big concern. If you want to play with five bowlers then one or two of them need to bat. Jadeja has got the potential. He has done well in the IPL and domestic games.

"Now, he has got fair amount of chances in international level also and we are hoping that he clicks," Dhoni said.

"He has done well in the bowling department and can even be called a specialist bowler. We hope that he stands out with his batting performance because he is the kind of guy who can give you stability at number six or seven. There are not many players that you can fill the spot right now," he added.

Talking about the other youngsters in the side, Dhoni said, "This is a good learning curve for the players. Some young players have got a chance here. The more they play the better for us. Also, the guys who are playing now are not really our bench strength. They are more of our next in line players.

"When Sachin (Tendulkar) and Yuvraj (Singh) come back they will have to make way for them. We perhaps have another 15-20 games, so all of them may not get a chance but this is the best we can do right now."

But Dhoni felt the youngsters need to be given chances so that their potential could be ascertained.

"The World Cup is too far away and it is tough to tell what kind of form the players will be in and what kind of niggles they might suffer. So it's good that we have been able to give some chances to some youngsters. It is impossible to tell how good an individual is unless he plays a few games," said Dhoni.

Dhoni said he is happy with the performance of the bowlers.

"Our strength is batting but I am quite happy with the way our bowlers did in the tournament. We have bowled mostly in the afternoon session when there has not been much help for the bowlers.

"They have done well in patches, but it will really feel good if you can win some games after scoring 230 or 240. You cannot always expect your batsman to score 280 or 300. It is good if it happens," said Dhoni.