India vs Australia: 'File a Public Interest Litigation' to Know My Retirement Plans, Quips Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is now used to being asked questions on his retirement. After India's six-wicket win in Sydney on Saturday, he again faced the same query and he tackled it with a witty reply. (India vs Australia: Mahendra Singh Dhoni Rues Lack of Settled Bowling Line-Up)

India does not have any major 50-over commitment for the better part of the 2016, where they would play a lot of Twenty20s. Then India have more than 10 Tests line up at home under Virat Kohli's leadership. (Sydney ODI: Manish Pandey Heroics Give India Thrilling ODI win Over Australia)

So, Dhoni was asked whether he has played his last 50 over match since India don't have any for a long time now. "File a PIL for this (knowing my retirement plan)," Dhoni said in a lighter vein.

But then while talking about his batting position, Dhoni in his own subtle way made it clear that may be he is still some time away from international retirement.

He then talked about continuing to bat lower down the order, thus partly delaying the retirement question, at least for the time being.

"I would like to bat at No 4 but the spots are all taken and I can only bat lower down the order. So I will continue to bat in that same order, and will have to adapt my game accordingly. Most of the time, I find it tough to hit the ball straightaway, so I need to bat a few overs.

"I usually have come out to bat in the later overs, and in the first three matches, there wasn't much I could do except hit the ball. But I will continue to bat lower down the order, and it will continue to be my responsibility in the coming ODIs or whatever I will be playing," he said.

'Different attacks for different formats'

He added that it was time the team needs to have different attacks for all three formats of the game.

"As we move forward, we have to get aligned as to who are our best T20 and ODI bowlers, and who are our Test bowlers and we have to segregate accordingly. We can't have similar bowlers in all formats," Dhoni said.

"We have been struggling when it comes to the team composition. Even when we came here last time, we didn't have a good line-up. We did well in the World Cup because the bowlers picked up and bowled well. Our batting has always been settled, but we have also make mistakes while struggling with our bowling."





'Youngsters need time to prosper'

That he is still not sure about the abilities of Rishi Dhawan and Gurkeerat Mann was evident when asked why he did not start hitting earlier as India chased down a record 331 to clinch a consolation win.

"Considering what happened in Canberra, I didn't want to play the big shot and take chances, because after me there were only Gurkeerat Mann, Ravindra Jadeja and Rishi Dhawan. So I thought if I am finding it difficult, why will they find it easy. The good thing was that Manish Pandey was set and the partnership kept building as neither of us got out."

'Pandey, Bumrah Fantastic'

However, he was all praise for centurion Manish Pandey and debutant pacer Jasprit Bumrah. (India vs Australia: Jasprit Bumrah Impresses on ODI Debut)

"The kind of innings Manish has played today will give him an extra 10-15 ODIs, where you can really settle in and start to do what you need to at the international level, adapting to the demands of the game. A lot will change when you play at different venues and in different conditions. As of now he is someone who looks good at No five," Dhoni said.

"Manish batted really well, but we are forgetting about Jasprit Bumrah's bowling. He was fantastic. The very first game he played, he bowled well with new ball, in the middle and in the death also. That's the kind of bowlers we are looking for.

"He has got the variations, along with an awkward action. We need to help take pressure off bowlers because someone or the other is conceding 75 runs from 10 overs always. In turn, it also puts pressure on the batting line-up."