ICC World Twenty20: India's Suresh Raina comes in for some stick from West Indies' Sammy.India's Suresh Raina says that most of the top-order West Indies batsmen prefer playing big shots rather than rotating strike against spinners, an area which he feels can be exploited by Amit Mishra and Co. when the two teams square off in the ICC World T20 here tomorrow.
Asked about the threat the explosive opening pair of Chris Gayle and Dwayne Smith could pose, Raina said, "West Indies will be a totally different team as they have a lot of players who can hit sixes but they don't have an idea about how to rotate the strike against spinners by taking singles and twos. "Therefore, the more pressure we put on the bigger players, better it will be for us."
The in-form left hander said that Amit Mishra's bowling will again be key while countering the likes of Gayle, Smith and Samuels. "We have Mishra, who has done well in the last match. Ashwin has also bowled well and Jadeja is doing well too. But T20 is dependant on who is better on that particular day. "Also depends on what you intend to do after winning the toss. Spinners will be key in this contest. Especially in the manner, we bowled against Pakistan, which plays spin really well."
Elaborating on the role of tweakers, Raina said that overs 7-11 will be key against the slower bowlers.
"About facing spinners, it's not that there is great turn (on this track) but some turn available. While shaping up for a shot, you need to come under the ball. Your thought-process should be clear. If you think you want to hit it then you should go ahead and if you decide against it then be it. Between 7 to 11 overs, is the time when you need to rotate the strike well. If you get even one loose ball, if you can convert it into fours and sixes, then it's good." Sammy then threw an open challenge and dared the Indian bowlers to stop them from hitting the maximums when they clash in the ICC World Twenty20 here tomorrow.
"We don't care much about what Suresh Raina thinks. If he thinks we are only six hitters, then stop us from hitting sixes," Sammy replied when asked about his batsmen inability to rotate strike against spinners.However, the usually affable West Indies skipper went back to his normal good natured mood as he answered questions with a bit of fun and some with a lot of seriousness.
What's there on Chris Gayle's mind, asked a scribe. "I am not Jesus Christ! I don't know what's going on in his mind.The West Indies, on the other hand, are unarguably the best T20 unit. With big hitters like Chris Gayle, Dwayne Smith, Dwayne Bravo, Marlon Samuels and Sammy in the ranks, they look impregnable. And then there's Sunil Narine, the mystery man.
India are on a high, but they need to sort out some issues quickly. The problem starts at the top. Shikhar Dhawan did get some runs against Pakistan, but the left-hander was found wanting against the short-pitched stuff. Also, Dhawan doesn't seem at home on turning wickets. His partner, Rohit Sharma, will have to make sure he doesn't squander away that start he often gets off to.
The biggest worry is, of course, the form of Yuvraj Singh. Once a reliable batsman, the southpaw seems to be low on confidence. He has not looked comfortable against spin and Narine would know that. A good knock here will certainly do a world of good to Yuvraj and India. And remember there's a certain Ajinkya Rahane on the bench.Spinners will again hold the key and the onus will be again on leg-spinner Amit Mishra who has been in terrific form.
