Dhoni calls for thorough grooming process

The first cut is the deepest. This is so true in the case of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, whose 0-4 defeat to England is his first series loss as skipper.

Probably, better selection could provide a cure going by what Dhoni said at yesterday's press conference after England beat his team by an innings and eight runs in the fourth and final Test at the Oval.

The India captain was asked about what kind of remodelling he would like to see in the team for the all-important Australia tour at the end of the year.

"I think it is important not to lose bowlers. It is hard -- especially when you are not playing in the sub-continent -- to manoeuvre with three specialist bowlers and use the part-timers, who more often than not, are spinners. It will be really important to groom a few other bowlers or have the bench strength of bowlers ready.

If we keep playing with the same bowlers and don't give exposure to some of the youngsters -- (show them) how international cricket looks like, we may be forced at some point of time to straightway bring them to play Test cricket which can be tough on them. I think we need to plan it a bit and hopefully utilise the time in between in the best possible manner," said Dhoni.

It can be recalled that India lost the services of Zaheer Khan for the entire series here when the left-arm quick injured his ankle on Day One of the opening Test at Lord's on July 21. The team kept hoping for his recovery, but good fortune did not arrive and ultimately, Zaheer had to be sent home.

Dhoni called for the grooming of youngsters in the batting department too. "We need to groom as many youngsters as possible -- try to give them confidence by not shuffling them too much. It is all about giving confidence to the next generation, so that they are at their best when thrown at the top level," he said.

Asked whether India had that kind of talent, Dhoni replied in the affirmative and mentioned the names of Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara and Abhinav Mukund, who figured in Lord's and Nottingham Tests of this series.

"I think we have the talent, but it is just that they need to be given proper exposure and confidence. Technique is important, but is also the confidence... if that level is high, people stop talking about technique, because you are scoring runs." Hopefully, Srikkanth and Co have heard that.