Dhoni, for one, is pleased to see deputy Virat Kohli easing into the leadership role. "Virat has changed a lot over the last year. The best thing about him is that he is very expressive, and that helps a captain. His approach towards his game and also the way he operates in the field has changed. He now has all the ingredients to lead a side and has led well in Zimbabwe," Dhoni said while speaking at a promotional event on Monday.
India's young crop has delivered results in the absence of stalwarts likeVirender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Zaheer Khan and Yuvraj and Dhoni clarified fit and in-form players - not age or experience - was the guiding factor, apart from top-class fielding skills.
"It doesn't matter if one is 40 or 42 years of age as long as he is fit and in form. I don't agree I am only keen on forming an all-youngsters team. Since cricket is a more skill-oriented game, if there is one department where a player can perform in every game it is fielding. And to be a good fielder, one has to be very fit. I will like to keep players who can save runs and are not below average as fielders," the captain said.
What about the long rope given to some younger players? "If a player is spotted as someone who has the talent to deliver and sustain pressure, he will be given a longer rope. But the individual has to perform to justify his selection," Dhoni said.
Dhoni remains a person who sets short-term goals. For him, thoughts of the much-hyped tour to South Africa in late November can wait. He has some unfinished business with the Australian team before that. "We haven't done well against them in ODIs at home. We need to fix that first. The series is happening when the dew factor comes into play and the toss plays a greater role. A lot of work needs to be done for that series too," he said.
Dhoni has his own ways to stay fit too. As he gets his head clear ahead of another hectic season, he isn't going through the rigorous fitness drills of a modern cricketer but is instead spending more time playing other sports like badminton to ensure his reflexes are razor sharp.
"I want my body to recover. Anyway, with the Champions League coming up, we will have to hit the gym as the professional trainers arrive. For the time being, I am trying to play other sports. In fact, I have been playing a lot of badminton since last week. That can work for the eyesight and footwork as well," Dhoni said.
Known for his outside-the-box moves on the field, Dhoni certainly doesn't belong to the old school of cricket pundits.
Reacting to Rahul Dravid's assertion that young players should play more days' cricket before moving into the shorter format, Dhoni's curt reply was: "One should respect all formats. In fact, the norm in Indian cricket has been to play ODIs and T20s first and then get in to the Test team. Most of us have got first exposure of international cricket by playing the shorter formats."
He even refrained from naming his all-time XI. "Forming an all-time XI is like mixing the parts of a two-stroke bike with a four-stroke bike. Guess what the outcome will be! I am not making my all-time XI. Not in this lifetime, at least."
Asked if he would keep his word and take a call on his Test career by 2013, Dhoni said, "You have to just wait and watch what happens in the next five months."
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