Good for Indian cricket if Dhoni becomes Test captain: R P Singh

Noida, Sep 10 (UNI) Praising Mahendra Singh Dhoni's leadership skills, left-arm seamer Rudra Pratap Singh today said it would benefit Indian cricket if the ODI skipper took charge of the Test team, although present captain Anil Kumble was doing a good job.

Speaking to UNI on the sidelines of an interactive session with the students of Amity International here, the pacer said, ''There is no deficiency in Kumble's captaincy. He is doing a fine job. But if Dhoni becomes captain, there is no harm.'' Though he admitted that Sourav Ganguly was the one who brought him into the limelight, he refused to comment about the former Indian skipper being left out of the Rest of India squad for the Irani Trophy.

Singh, who is also persuing MBA from Amity Institute, Lucknow, said his hamstring injury during the fourth and final cricket Test against Australia earlier this year has affected his game.

''Injury is a part of every players' life. To deal with them, we have to take them in our stride,'' he maintained, adding that he is following a tough training schedule to regain his fitness.

Singh further admitted that with the arrival of talented young pacers like Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar and S Sreesanth, there is now tough competition in the team.

''I will look into the variations and my mental approach to keep my bowling on track,'' he stated.

On adjustment to the three versions of the game, Singh said, ''Different strategies are used for different versions of the game. While for Test matches, longer plans are needed to be made, for Twenty20 I just think about the next ball.'' Expressing elation over his inclusion in the Rest of India squad for the prestigious Irani Trophy, scheduled to be held later this month, the 22-year-old said he was keenly looking forward to the event, which will give a boost to his chances of being selected in the Indian team for the coming Test series at home against Australia.

''I am excited about playing Australia at home. They are the best team in the world, India being the number two, the series is definitely going to be a great challenge,'' he averred.

Asked about the types of wickets that should be prepared for the Australia series, the medium pacer said, ''I hope the pitches will be fiery, with good bounce so I can get more wickets.'' UNI PY AB BD1700