Overworked Dhoni battles to keep injuries at bay

It has been a painful period for Dhoni. Right through the just-concluded Test series,Dhoni has been nursing an injured right finger.

It has been a painful period for Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Right through the just-concluded Test series,Dhoni has been nursing an injured right finger. He has been getting regular rub downs on his back every day. At times during the third Test,he took his right hand off immediately after collecting the ball,and his ability to throw has been compromised to an extent.

An x-ray hasnt been done yet but the Indian skipper will be doing all he can to shield the injury from any unwanted stress in the run-up to the tri-series starting Tuesday. Even if he needs rest,it will be difficult for him to take too much time off from the game,with a packed schedule ahead. And while Harbhajan Singh,Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir have all been rested either with injuries or as a precaution,in case of Tendulkar Dhoni cant afford any breather,given that he leads both the Test and the ODI sides.

The last time he took a break was when he skipped the Test series in Sri Lanka in 2008. Back then,he was leading only the one-day and Twenty20 sides,India werent the No.1 team in Tests and the World Cup wasnt six months away. Besides,this time around,Dhoni also has to play in the Champions League for Chennai Super Kings from September 10.

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India also play Australia in two Tests and three ODIs before playing hosts to New Zealand in a three-Test and five-match ODI series. They then travel to South Africa to play another three Tests and five ODIs till January 23. India play Bangladesh in their first World Cup match on February 19.

But all thats in the future. Of immediate concern is whether Dhoni will be able to keep wickets during the tri-series. He has the option of handing the gloves to Dinesh Karthik,the Tamil Nadu wicket-keeper playing purely as a batsman. Dhoni will have to strike a fine balance between playing as many games as possible,resting his tired fingers and also ensuring he doesnt feel burnt out in six months time.

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Mahendra Singh Dhoni

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