Thaindian News

Kolkata, Nov 17 (IANS) Stylish batsman Yuvraj Singh may not be in the best of form, but Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni feels he needs backing as it is important to show confidence in him.

Yuvraj has not been among the runs in the ongoing series against the West Indies and his customary weaknesses against the short ball showed as he got hit by a Fidel Edwards delivery in the first innings of the Kolkata Test at the Eden Gardens here.

But for Dhoni, getting hit is part and parcel of the game.

“At the end of the day, it’s about scoring runs. It does not matter where you got hit or where you scored runs. Yes, he is going through a tough phase but it’s important to show confidence in him. We all know he is talented. He has played really well against all the big bowlers especially in the ODI format which means he has talent to do well in Test formats as well,” said Dhoni.

The Indian captain said it becomes very difficult for a player to back himself being in and out of the side.

“It’s very difficult to back yourself. You have that bit of tentativeness. It’s a bit tough on him. But hopefully he will recover and do well for India,” he said.

Dhoni was also very satisfied with his blitzy knock of 144 in the only Indian innings here.

“He (Kemar Roach) was getting me out thrice. It was a good wicket to bat on. From the pavilion end, you had a bit of assistance for the pacers. After a good start, the way Rahul played with Laxman it gave us a position where the lower order comes in and tries to score runs at a brisk pace,” he said after India defeated the West Indies by a thumping innings and 15 runs to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-Test series.

Dhoni said initially he tried to play big shots, but when that did not pay off, he gave himself more time to get set before going for the acceleration.

He said after the disastrous tour of England when India went down 0-4 in Tests and 0-3 in ODIs, “we are glad to be on the winning side”.