Dhoni optimistic of success

Dhoni optimistic of success Monday, Mar 08 2010 Chennai: Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni felt that there was no reason why Chennai Super Kings cannot with the third Indian Premier League T20 cricket tournament after having come so close to achieving success in the previous two editions. While expressing satisfaction over the Super Kings team composition and negating doubts over the bowling attack, Dhoni, speaking at a Media conference here today, was categoric in saying that his side was good enough to go all the way this season. He fielded every question thrown at him with great patience and panache while showcasing his skills in dealing with the Media. Below are his thoughts on various subjects: On Super Kings chances: We have done pretty well in the past two seasons (reaching the final in 2008 and semi-finals in 2009). In T20 format, you cannot guarantee victory, but it is important to play good cricket. We have a balanced side and I am not worried. I admit that batting has been our strength and we will try to field the best eleven. We will be playing for the pride and honour of our franchise owners. On team’s bowling attack and balance: I wouldn’t say that our bowling is weak. We have a number of all-rounders in the team besides specialist bowlers like Balaji, Ashwin, Gony, Tyagi, Jakati, Muralitharan and Ntini. The all-rounders give us additional bowling options. So I am not really worried about our bowling. We also have Justin Kemp who is a hard-hitting batsman and also a capable of bowling medium pace. Overall, I am quite happy with the balance of the team. On Muralitharan and Ntini: Murali is a great asset and useful in any format of the game. He is also a great character to have in the dressing room along with Makhaya Ntini. On packed calendar and IPL: The T20 format is a tough format. It can be pretty demanding mentally and physically. Besides, there is a lot of travel. However, it won’t be as tiring as last year when he travelled so much in South Africa. Since we would be playing in India, we will be enjoying that much more. After the IPL, there is the T20 World Cup and other series. So, there is a lot happening. It is important that we switch off from cricket and also regulate our training with emphasis on quality than quantity. We are also using the IPL to try and expose our youngsters to international cricket as there are different players from different countries and diverse cultures. The idea is to groom young talent. I am quite happy with the restriction on the number of foreign players in the playing eleven. After all, it is an Indian competition. The restriction also means competition among the foreign players to get into the eleven. On Security: I am quite happy with the security measures and I think they are just perfect. I don’t think individual players should be worried about their safety. I heard that every franchise owner has taken steps to ensure that players are safe.