Go for it aggressively, former great Dujon tells Dhoni

Jeffrey Dujon, who donned the 'keeping and batting gloves with distinction for the West Indies, advises Dhoni to play his natural game to get out of captaincy and batting slumps

Go for it aggressively, former great Dujon tells Dhoni

Jeffrey Dujon, who donned the 'keeping and batting gloves with distinction for the West Indies, advises Dhoni to play his natural game to get out of captaincy and batting slumps

Former West Indies wicketkeeper-batsman Jeffrey Dujon is convinced that the pressure will be on Mahendra Singh Dhoni during the four-match one-day series against West Indies starting in Kingston, Jamaica, today.

Dhoni's captaincy during the ICC World Twenty20 tournament came in for a lot of flak with many of his decisions being questioned by the experts. "It is but obvious that he is under some pressure because of India's recent results and the fact that he is not among the runs," Dujon told MiD DAY from Jamaica.

Defending champions India crashed out after losing all their three Super Eight matches at the World T20 recently. It had been smooth sailing for Dhoni ever since he was given the reigns of the national team. But now, for the first time, the Indian skipper is feeling the heat.

"Obviously, expectations of the Indian public were very high in terms of the Indian team doing well at the World T20. But I think he is a very good competitor and seems to be a very good captain so he will be able to handle that," said the Jamaican, who will be part of the TV commentary team during the series.

"As captain, you have to play the way you see it. If the moves he made had worked out, nobody would have said anything. The first thing he needs to do is pick himself up as a captain. If he does that and gets some runs, I think his confidence will come back," said the former 'keeper, who was a vital cog in the great West Indies team of the 1980s.

Of equal concern to the Indian fans is Dhoni's patchy form with the bat. The skipper admitted that he was not batting at his best at the moment. "Yes, he looks a bit low on confidence. Confidence comes from performance.
Once he gets some runs behind him and gets his confidence back, he will be pretty much the way he was before. It is all about confidence."

To get his touch back, Dujon advised Dhoni to focus on batting aggressively. "The best advice is to be positive in what he does and look to play his natural game, which is an aggressive one."

Windies on a high
West Indies are on a high after reaching the semi-finals of the World T20 and Gayle & Co will be confident having beaten India during the tournament. "I can't necessarily compare T20 to the 50-over format but having got a victory over India, they have an idea of how India will approach (the series). India without Tendulkar and Sehwag won't be as strong, so the West Indies should fancy their chances against them. They (West Indies) will feel pretty confident," said Dujon.

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