Dhoni in two minds on demoting Dravid

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Thursday revealed the team think-tank was toying with the idea of dropping off-colour Rahul Dravid in the batting order but said it was in two minds fearing the ploy may boomerang in the second and final Test against England.

Dhoni said promoting VVS Laxman at number three was one of the options before the Indian team in the match starting tomorrow but felt it was not a foolproof idea of helping Dravid wriggle out of his bad patch.

"We are thinking about that but as of now, it's not confirmed," Dhoni told reporters.

"Shifting Rahul to number five and asking VVS to bat at number three seems ok at times. VVS has scored runs at number three and it would be easy for Rahul too. But it can also boomerang," he said.

"If VVS gets a good ball and gets out, there is already pressure on Rahul and once you lose three wickets, the pressure is always on the number five batsman. It's really tough to tackle that," Dhoni explained.

"At least batting at number three gives you the freedom to play your natural game," he said.

Since the home series against South African, Dravid has been a pale shadow of his former self and continuous failure has reduced the Mr Dependable to the weakling of the side.

Dhoni, however, once again threw his weight behind the senior batsman and said once he manages to survive the early overs, things would be alright for Dravid.

"We are not really worried with Rahul's form. It's just a matter of time. Once he passes the 30-run mark he can get his confidence back. Nobody can question his talent and determination," Dhoni said. "It's the initial phase and he has not been able to pass that phase. But we have confidence in him," he added.

Dhoni said with India delivering as a unit, there was no insecurity in the side and he was not perturbed by a failure on any individual's part.

"It happens when the team starts doing well. It allows you to go ahead with a few guys who are not in very good form or phase. It's a team sport and if the team does well, you can carry a few individuals, giving them more time (to find their form)," he explained.

Waxing eloquent on the unity in the dressing room, the Indian captain said, "We understand each other well, we know the strength of the individuals and enjoy each other's success.

"We back Virender Sehwag to play his shots even if he gets out in a few innings. As a team we know how dangerous he is and how he scored so many runs in international cricket. We believe in the talent every individual has got and that makes us a real team.

"We always have the self-belief. We believe we can do things. When people question our ability, we want to prove the wrong. Guys come up and say 'Well, I'll take the responsibility and take the team through," he said.

Under him, winning has become a habit for the side but Dhoni insisted it was not as easy as it appears.

"Nothing is easy I can assure you. International cricket is very tough. It looks so when you have a good side and the side is doing everything right now. I think the team is doing great, more than anything else," Dhoni said. He was effusive in his praise for Sehwag and described the Delhi swashbuckler as the most destructive batsmen in both the short and long versions of the game.

"The way he scored in the last match, he's definitely the most destructive batsman, whether in Test cricket or one day cricket," he said.

Dhoni felt Sehwag has found a perfect partner in Delhi teammate Gautam Gambhir at the opening slot and that augurs well for the side.

"They complement each other. They have played loads of domestic cricket together and both are aggressive stroke players. They always score at a brisk rate, it's (run rate) always three-plus and if they bat for 15 overs, you know they would score 50-plus. But what really stands out is their running between the wicket," Dhoni said.

Recalling the Chennai Test, Dhoni felt Sehwag's blistering half century in the second innings set the game for India.

"I think we didn't win too many sessions in the first three days but in the last two days, we did well when it mattered most. We raised our standard and took responsibility.

"I think Viru's innings was very crucial and Yuvi and Sachin did well also. I think the bowlers also did a great job there. Whenever they (England) had a partnership, our bowlers were still bowling to win."

Test cricket completes 75 years on Indian soil

The MS Dhoni-led Indian team on Monday beat England in Chennai to record a historic win in Test cricket. But the day holds importance for more than this reason. Exactly 75 years ago to this day began Indian fans' tryst with Test cricket when the first tie of the three-match series between India and England commenced at the Bombay Gymkhana.

To commemorate the occasion the Cricket Board had planned to hold a ceremonial dinner with all former captains in attendance at the Bombay Gymkhana on December 17, but it was cancelled following the Mumbai terror attacks last month.

The December 15-18 match in 1933 between the visiting team led by Douglas Jardine, who had already gained notoriety with the Australian people for being the prime mover behind the "Bodyline" series, and the Indian squad led by C K Nayudu ended in the tourists' favour.

Jardine and his men won the contest by nine wickets, but not before some home team players etched their names in the record books, notably Lala Amarnath who made a second innings century on debut after having been dismissed for 38, the top score in the Indian first innings total of 219.

Fast bowler Mohammed Nissar, who had rocked the great English batting line-up in June, 1932 on India's Test debut at Lord's, once again was the pick of the bowlers with his first innings haul of 5 for 90.

England's reply of 438, to India's modest first innings total, effectively sealed the home team's fate and was built around Cyril Walters's 78, captain Jardine's 60 and Bryan Valentine's 136.

India were shot out for 258 in the second innings, centred around Amarnath's 118 and captain Nayudu's 67, with fast bowlers Stan Nicols and Edward Clark sharing eight wickets between them.

Dhoni will be tested on overseas series | Former Indian Cricketers

Flamboyant skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni might have led Team India to number of success stories, including clinching the Twenty20 world cup title, but the real exam of his mettle would be the overseas Test series, feel former India cricketers.

"Dhoni has all the ingredients to be the best captain but it is too early to judge him. If he keeps up this rate of success, he will surely be amongst the greats," former Test captain and ex-selection panel chief Dilip Vengsarkar said.

Mohinder Amarnath, who was a part of the 'Kapil's Devils' who clinched World Cup in 1983, also insisted that overseas Test series going to be the litmus test for Dhoni. "Dhoni always lead from the front and is doing a good job. But I won't say that he is the best captain we ever had. His real test will be on overseas series, where the team will have to negotiate different pitches and conditions," Amarnath said.

Under Dhoni, who hails from Ranchi, Team India have won all the four Test matches he has led till date, besides pocketing some memorable ODI wins. "He has the right blend of youth and experienced players in his squad. He has gelled with them quite nicely," Amarnath added.

MS Dhoni dating actress Lakshmi Rai | Checkout Lakshmi’s Pictures

Indian Cricket Captain M.S.Dhoni seems to be in love as he is dating South Indian Siren Lakshmi Rai these days. It seems Dhoni is enjoying the test in Chennai in both forms.

The love blossomed between the two as Actress Lakshmi Rai was in regular touch with Indian Cricket Team Captain MS Dhoni ever since the T-20 Tournament where he represented Chennai Super Kings. Both of them dined, danced and spent the whole night in privacy where it startled the entire media channels. The media also reported that Dhoni and Lakshmi Rai were seen together at a beach side star hotel in Chennai, a week ago. And again, as Dhoni was here for selection of Indian Cricket Team, Lakshmi Rai had invited him for another dinner and it was the same scenario.

When approached by local media persons, Lakshmi Rai expressed that MS Dhoni and she are good friends. She also said that they become friends when they met each other at IPL’s Chennai Super Kings.

Lakshmi Rai is an upcoming South Indian actress and was reportedly dating her co-star previously.

Lakshmi Rai was regularly seeing Dhoni during the Twenty20 cricket league and she never missed any single match of the Chennai Super Kings team, played at M.A.Chidamabaram stadium in Chennai. The Television cameras too captured Lakshmi Rai rooting cheerfully for her “favourite” Indian cricketer.

It really doesn’t matter what these guys (Dhoni or Lakshmi) do in their private lives… so long as Dhoni is good in the field and Lakshmi in whatever she does (acting). Was it a rumour or really India’s most eligible bachelor finally found his lady love?

One final Advice to Dhoni as he needs to be more careful in his selection choice.

Check out Lakshmi Photo Gallery

M S Dhoni makes Bollywood debut with John Abraham

Mahendra Singh Dhoni will finally be seen on the big screen, in a cricket-based film, Hook Ya Crook. A source close to the production house said, “UTV, who had earlier made Goal, a football-based film, want Hook Ya Crook to be an authentic cricket film. The climax will be a huge cricket match a la Ashutosh Gowariker’s Lagaan . Dhoni, who has a full-fledged role, is being brought on board to share the field and cinema space with the rest of the cast and also to help his colleagues give a believable spin to the game.”

David Dhawan, the director of the film said, “Cricket does play a very important part in my film. This would be my most uncharacteristic film, very different from the comedies I am associated with. John Abraham and Uday Chopra will come together again after Dhoom. And Aditya Pancholi has a very important role. The audience will love him.”

The film, Hook Ya Crook , is hugely inspired from the 1981 Hollywood film, Escape To Victory , which featured football star Pele. The film was about a group of prisoners escaping from a World War 2 prison camp while playing a football match. Writer Rensil D’Silva has adapted the film for an Indian audience.

While the prison set is currently being built by art director Samir Chanda in Hyderabad, all the actors have been asked to brush up on their high-school cricket.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni | Profile

The spectacular arrival of Virender Sehwag was bound to inspire others to bat with the same mindset. But the odds of a clone emerging from the backwaters of Jharkhand, whose state side has consistently scraped the bottom, was highly remote. That was until Mahendra Singh Dhoni arrived.

He can be swashbuckling with the bat and secure with the wicketkeeping gloves. His neck-length hair adds to his dash. Though Dhoni made his first-class debut in the 1999-2000 season, it was only in 2004 that he became a serious contender for national selection with some stirring performances when the occasion demanded. With his two centuries against Pakistan A, in the triangular tournament in Kenya, that he established himself as a clinical destroyer of bowling attacks.

In just his fifth one-dayer, against Pakistan at Vishakapatnam, he cracked a dazzling 148 - putting even Sehwag in the shade - and followed that up with a colossal 183 not out at Jaipur against Sri Lanka in November, when he broke Adam Gilchrist's record for the highest score by a wicketkeeper in ODIs. He made an instant impact on the Test level too, pounding 148 at Faisalabad, in only his fifth Test.

He was elevated to the vice-captaincy of the one-day squad for the tour of England and Ireland in 2007 and, soon after, was appointed captain of the Twenty20 squad for the World Championship in South Africa. A heady title triumph marked him out as a leader for the future and was handed over the reins of the one-day side in September 2007 after Rahul Dravid decided to step down as captain. It didn't take too long for him to enhance his reputation, claiming India's first tri-series triumph in Australia. He captained Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, losing out to Shane Warne's Rajasthan Royals in a tense final. As a stop-gap Test captain, he was credited with leading India to their biggest ever win in terms of runs (320), against Australia in Mohali.

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