It's been six months since Mahendra Singh Dhoni quit Test cricket but the India ODI captain said the manner in which he used to approach the shorter format would not change as his philosophy is to adapt as per the demands of the situation.
"It will be quite the same because what's important is for the team to win. And we will have to see what kind of roles and responsibilities suit the individuals playing in the eleven, and accordingly, we will decide. Being adaptive and constantly looking to improve is something that's important at the international level," Dhoni said on Wednesday at the pre-match press conference on the eve of the first One-Day International against Bangladesh in Mirpur, Dhaka.
"The regime is still the same. As I said it's the demand of the game. Its not about me but as to what the team demands from me and what the situation is when I go into bat. So it will still be the same. It also depends on where I am batting. If I am batting at 5 and 6, the demands are very different compared to if I am batting at 3 and 4," Dhoni said.
Recently Dhoni trained at Delhi's National Stadium for a day under local coach M P Singh.
"Let us not make it complex. It's a small thing that keeps on going. It's a lot to talk about but it's very basic and very simple. You can have your own idea," the ODI skipper said.
While the target is to win the series but Dhoni also stressed on the importance to switch off during rain-breaks as it can hamper the momentum.
"Our target first and foremost is to win the series by taking one game at a time. That is something that makes our job slightly easy. Because there is also chance of rain, so it is important to remain focussed.
"If we gather some kind of momentum, it's important that we switch off at the right time with the rain break. And once the time comes for us to switch on, we should be able to do that and try to get as many runs as possible."
Dhoni also made it clear that the core of this team will be going into the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy in England as well as the 2019 World Cup in the same country.
"If you look at the top four or five batsmen, it seems that if they are fit and are in decently good form, they are the ones who may go into the next World Cup or the Champions Trophy. But maybe, we need to improve is the bottom three, maybe after the first four. 5,6 and 7 and particularly seven because they are very crucial.
"The reason being more often that the No. 7 batsman for you, 90 percent of the time he has to bowl you 10 overs. So we are still looking (at an all-rounder). Last one and a half years, I don’t think our bottom order has got a lot of opportunity to bat specially in the sub-continent," the skipper added.
"The top-order has done a remarkable job because of which 5,6 and 7 haven't had many opportunities to bat. It becomes a bit difficult, the reason being if somebody is batting at seven, if he goes in one game where we are 5 or 6 down and he has to score that 50-60 runs. You get an opportunity like that maybe in 10-15 games."
Image: India ODI captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Photograph: Matthew Lewis/Getty Images
