karachi, july 3: India skipper MS Dhoni’s favoured line of conversation these days is about the number of hours his team spend on the field.

But with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) deciding to promptly reply to Dhoni's complaints of a hectic schedule by declaring that “if players want, they can opt for rest,” and the team silently resuming play day after day, it is evident that all the talk about the coming season, the format of this tournament, and the fear of injuries will be shoved under the carpet.

The BCCI is not ready to relent even if an Indian eleven has to walk out on the field without its best players and the players, in turn, just do not want to risk being out of that eleven for the fear of being sidelined.

“You feel sad for the bowlers because, though they are bowling well in patches, there is nothing they can do on this kind of wicket. In addition, if they get hit then it also begins to affect their confidence,” says Dhoni.

On Wednesday in the match against Pakistan, when Ishant Sharma misfielded at long-on and casually threw back the ball a little too far from the wicket-keeper, Dhoni raised his hands in despair. On another day, perhaps, the skipper would have expressed his unhappiness a little differently.

In the last year, India have played close to 21 one-day internationals in the sub-continent, out of which 12 have been played at home. Out of these, in seven matches India have conceded 300-plus runs. Sri Lanka managing 308 at the National Stadium in Karachi on Thursday was the eighth such occasion for Dhoni and his team. “It isn't very easy for the bowlers. The pitches are just not responsive,” says the skipper.

Compare this to India’s tour of Australia early this year, when in the CB Series, Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar and Irfan Pathan ended up among the top five wicket-takers. The same bowlers going for runs at a consistent rate of six to seven per over here in the Asia Cup would be a huge worry.

For the record, Ishant’s very first over against Pakistan on Wednesday cost 16 runs, and he ended up conceding 68 in his complete spell. On Thursday, Pathan was smashed for 80 off his 10 overs while Praveen, regardless of the runs he has conceded, has come across as completely ineffective on the tracks here.

Now after the Asia Cup with less than a week’s gap, India leave for Sri Lanka, and while these players may choose not to come on record, there are growing concerns within the camp over fitness issues.