Harbhajan Singh: "The most important thing is to try and maintain our winning momentum from the World Cup"

Harbhajan Singh has said it is "important to understand your body and manage it accordingly" in order to survive the rigours of the bloated schedule India's cricketers are being subjected to.

"A lot of hard work has been put in outside the field, and I am glad that it is paying off when the country needs me the most," Harbhajan told the Indian Express ahead of the West Indies tour, where he will be vice-captain of the one-day side in the absence of all the other senior players who are either resting or recovering from injuries. "You need to build your stamina to remain fit and be raring to go, and that happens only with proper planning. During non-match days I make sure that I sleep well - it is the most important nourishment to your body. I don't try and push my body too much. The key is to just keep things simple."

For the one-day leg, Harbhajan will be the deputy to Suresh Raina who appeared on the scene much after Harbhajan established his place in the Indian side. Harbhajan said that he was not too bothered about not being named the captain of the depleted outfit. "Not everybody gets to be raja [king], some have to be mantri [minister]," he said. "It's a great honour to play for India. Of course, the dream to captain the side is alive, and I hope that it happens someday. But until then, I just want to do the best I can for the team. It is an honour to just be a part of this side.

"It [my role as vice-captain] is simple, I have to make sure the dressing room environment remains fresh and energetic. The main thing is to make the youngsters feel very comfortable in the dressing room. There should be positive vibes all around, and the most important thing is to try and maintain our winning momentum from the World Cup."

Harbhajan had a reasonably successful IPL, finishing with 14 dismissals in 15 games at an economy-rate of 6.98. He believed switching from the Twenty20 format to one-dayers at short notice would not be a problem for him. "They are diametrically opposite versions, but being a professional, I'm ready for it. In Twenty20s, every second guy can roll his arm over - you don't need skill or great variation. However, in the 50-over format, a spinner can really achieve something substantial. The switch is quite drastic.

"The IPL was alright, it still is quite an unpredictable format for everyone concerned, but especially the bowlers. As a spinner, all I can do is to pray that the four overs go well. If I get lucky, then I end up with a couple of wickets, otherwise the only constant is to get hit for runs all over the park. You can't really judge a player based on his Twenty20 performances."

Harbhajan will share the spin burden with R Ashwin and Amit Mishra in the West Indies one-dayers, both of whom courted more success than him in the IPL. Harbhajan said there were plenty of options in the team and did not want to comment on the combination. He hoped that the youngsters would make use of the chance to shine in the absence of the regulars.

"It is a relatively young side, and this tour should be looked at as an opportunity for them to grab," Harbhajan said. "They have earned their team call-ups the hard way, and after knocking on the door for so long, they have an entire series to really stake their claim. Nevertheless, it will be a challenge."

© ESPN EMEA Ltd.

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Suresh Raina talks on leading India on West Indies tour

India's captain for the limited-overs series on the tour of West Indies - Suresh Raina - on Tuesday said his experience of playing under different captains will help him lead a young Indian side that is keen to do well in India's first series after being crowned as ODI Champions earlier this year.

"Learnt a lot from captains I’ve played under, including (Anil) Kumble, (MS) Dhoni and Rahul Dravid. Tour to the West Indies is very important for young players who are keen to do well," said Raina.

Addressing a press conference before leaving for the Carribbean, the UP batsman said the team was balanced despite the absence of key players. Gautam Gambhir, prolific opener Virender Sehwag, World Cup hero Yuvraj Singh are out with injuries, while regular skipper MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar anIndia tour of West indies - 2011, Indiad Zaheer Khan have been rested.

"We have a good balanced side. Important to stay focused and disciplined for the series," he said, adding, "I am really honoured to be leading the side. I am happy with the side as we have some very good batsmen in Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, S Badrinath, Shikhar Dhawan all of whom have done well in first-class cricket.

The stand-in Indian skipper, sitting alongside newly-appointed coach Duncan Fletcher, also had a special word of praise for Badrinath.

"Badrinath especially has done well in first-class cricket and deserves to be in the team. I hope we will do well in the West Indies," said Raina who will hand over the reins to Dhoni when he returns for the three-Test series to be held after the conclusion of the five ODIs.

When asked to comment on the West Indies side, Raina said playing in the West Indies was always a challenge, even though Chris Gayle was not picked for the only T20 and the subsequent ODI series.

"West Indies has players like Gayle missing but it will be a challenge for us. We will surely do well."

On being quizzed about his strategy if Gayle returns after the first two ODIs, the southpaw mentioned the name of his Chennai Super Kings and India teammate R Ashwin as a weapon to counter the Gayle threat.

"We have Ashwin. It's a good challenge for us," said Raina.

Indian open their campaign with the only Twenty20 international on June 4, followed by the ODI series that starts from June 6.

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India can do well in Windies: Fletcher

India's newly-appointed coach Duncan Fletcher said Tuesday the team had the potential to perform well on its upcoming tour of the West Indies despite missing key players.

"There is a lot of talent in India and my job is to prepare these youngsters," said former Zimbabwean all-rounder Fletcher, who was named coach last month.

"India have a plan to stay at the top. The young players have the potential and this tour will show the depth of talent we have. But any team playing at home is difficult to beat so we should not be complacent."

India are without Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Zaheer Khan, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh for a five-match one-day series starting in Trinidad on June 6.

Batting superstar Tendulkar, World Cup-winning captain Dhoni and paceman Zaheer have been rested while openers Gambhir and Sehwag, and all-rounder Yuvraj are unfit.

Fletcher said he had followed a rotation policy when he was the England coach.

"While I was in England, I started the rotation policy resting senior guys and was criticised. It's important to do that considering the heavy schedule. We need to look into the matter as we go into the future," he said.

Stand-in India captain Suresh Raina said the tour was a good opportunity for youngsters to show their talent.

"It's a great opportunity for the youngsters who have done well in domestic cricket and I hope they will do well," said Raina.

"I am really honoured to be leading the side. I am happy with the side as we have some very good batsmen in Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, Subramaniam Badrinath and Shikhar Dhawan who have done well in first-class cricket."

The Caribbean tour opens with a one-off Twenty20 international in Trinidad on June 4. India will also play three Tests after the one-day series.

T20 and one-day squad: Suresh Raina (capt), Harbhajan Singh (vice-capt), Parthiv Patel, Virat Kohli, Subramaniam Badrinath, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Manoj Tiwary, Ravichandran Ashwin, Praveen Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel, Vinay Kumar, Yusuf Pathan, Amit Mishra, Wriddhiman Saha.

© AFP

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Murali says Sri Lanka are on their own

 

Retired Sri Lanka great Muttiah Muralitharan has said there isn't much he can do for his compatriots as they struggle to come to terms with their dramatic first Test defeat.

The tourists were dismissed for just 82 in under two hours in Cardiff on Monday as England grabbed an unlikely innings and 14-runs win to go 1-0 up in the three-match series.

Spin star Muralitharan bowed out of Test cricket with a record 800 wickets before retiring completely from international matches following Sri Lanka's World Cup final defeat by India in Mumbai in April.

As well as Muralitharan, Sri Lanka's attack is also missing the likes of retired seamers Chaminda Vaas and Lasith Malinga, while pacemen Nuwan Pradeep and Dilhara Fernando were both forced out on the eve of the first Test because of injury.

But Muralitharan, due to play for Gloucestershire in this year's English county Twenty20 tournament, insisted he could not be swayed out of his decision to quit international cricket.

"I have finished my career and they have to handle themselves," the 39-year-old said Tuesday in an interview with Gloucestershire's website.

"The coach (former Australia batsman Stuart Law) is there and the captain (Tillakaratne Dilshan) is there and they have to handle themselves.

"I can't help them. I'm not there.

"Cricketers go through these patches, but they come through. I just retired, I want to concentrate on my things. Sri Lanka are in good hands.

"Sometimes you have a disaster but that doesn't mean they're a bad side. They will bounce back."

The second Test starts at Lord's on Friday.

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