145;Rotation will stop burnout146;

With the World Cup round the corner, Dhoni wants to make the most of his form

Pressure. pressure. hmm, let me think.8221; For a guy who talks the same way he bats 8212; straight and hard, it was a difficult question to answer. The word that most cricketers dread is alien to Mahendra Singh Dhoni. And after much thought, finally comes out with a single-liner: 8220;Will to succeed when conditions are adverse.8221;

At present, everything is going right for the Jharkhand cricketer 8212;- in India, the success on the cricket field is directly proportional to the number of commercial opportunities and Sunday morning was yet another opportunity. Dhoni was signed up by NDTV for a period of one year during which he will be a part of special programmes, interviews and views aired on the channel.

He8217;s seen some of teammates struggle for form; he realises that a bad patch can come to anyone, but for the moment he8217;s content making the most of his good form. 8220;Right now, I am playing well, my confidence level is up, so I just want to make the most of it. Bad patches in cricket are those phases over which we have no control, so it8217;s important that we contribute when things are going well for you.

8220;The World Cup is just a few months away, so it8217;s important that I keep doing well and don8217;t let any negative thoughts come into my mind,8221; he says.

An integral part of Team India, Dhoni has batted up and down the order, contributed runs in a heap and played second fiddle too. But he feels there are still a fair bit of challenges yet to be met. 8220;Performing back-to-back, opening the innings there8217;s a lot to do for me in this team. I hardly get time to plan my innings out, I don8217;t know when I have to walk out to bat; usually I plan walking up to the crease. I want to plan quickly and adapt to situations, meet the demands of the game,8221; he adds.

A really contentious issue of late 8212;- Dhoni joins the list who believes that rotation policy adopted by the board is the most ideal solution to prevent burnout of players. 8220;Yes, there8217;s a lot cricket and every cricketer wants to play maximum matches possible, but at the same time every cricketer needs to have a break.

8220;When a rotation policy is there, there is no issue of burnout. We get enough rest in between matches to recharge our batteries. Look at Irfan Pathan, he8217;s performed really well after having a short break, so it gives every player a chance to excel. Rotation allows other guys in the 14-15 member squad a chance to gain experience so that when the right time comes he can also excel.8221;

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He, however, refused to buy the theory that with so many players staking claim, rotation might lead to insecurity among players about losing their places in the side. 8220;I don8217;t think the players are insecure about their places. This unit is playing well, we are gelling well, there8217;s no set benchmark and there8217;s a lot of faith in us.8221;

Dhoni8217;s main strength, according to coach Greg Chappell, has been his clear thinking and ability to learn fast. Dhoni describes himself in simple terms: 8220;With the gloves on, I am a 8217;keeper, with the bat in hand I am batsman.8221; And to his credit, he8217;s climbed a few steps in both these departments, perhaps even in bowling 8211; 8220;I even bowled with the new ball in a Test match,8221; he adds in jest.

On a more serious note, he admits that a lot of success has been attributed largely to the willow, but he8217;s put in ample work on improving his wicketkeeping too.

The forthcoming West Indies tour, according to him, is a learning lap that will measure the distance they need to cover for the World Cup at the same venue next year. And just like the team, personally, he8217;s got no concerns heading into the tour and is brimming with confidence.