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An encouraging sign, says Dhoni

Special Correspondent

Wellington: There isn’t much that can be read into abandoned games, but the 28.4 overs India batted advanced its knowledge and understanding of New Zealand’s bowling and the conditions, and that’s never a bad thing.

“I am happy the batsmen played well. Whatever limited opportunity they got they scored runs and what else there’s nothing much I can say,” said M.S. Dhoni, the Indian captain.

“I think its tough for the batsman who is in, especially when it rains on and off, every time he has to set himself before going for the big strokes. You can’t do anything (about the weather) unless you have an indoor stadium.”

Pleasing sight

Dhoni said Tendulkar’s half-century was an encouraging sign. “It’s a pleasure watching him score runs. If you can get those runs at the top of the order then the batsmen with their flair can just play their natural game.”

Explaining his decision to bat given the forecast for rain, Dhoni said, “I feel it’s like a gamble because if it’s a 50 overs game you win the toss and are not sure how much it will rain.

“If it rains such that you lose 8, 10 or 15 overs, the side which has batted first has a bit of advantage. But in the same way if the side batting second are given a target in 20 overs before they start batting, it becomes very easy.”

Dhoni hoped Ishant Sharma would be fit for the third ODI, but conceded that it would be tight, for the seamer still needed rest.

Improvement

New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori suggested that India would be the more disappointed side after the game was rained out. “India got off to a very good start, so they would be more disappointed I guess,” he said.

“They would have wanted to capitalise on their good start.”

Vettori detected improvement in his sides bowling after Napier. “They were reasonably disciplined and pretty comfortable with most of it. But still we got a lot of work to do.”

What about Sehwag? “That’s what destructive batsmen do,” answered Vettori. “They have people off their game plans. I wouldn’t say intimidated, but you are fearful of what’s going to come. You are never sure what he is going to do, he is that good a player that he can hit all around the park.”

Vettori, who is expecting the birth of his first child, confirmed he will travel to Christchurch.

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