Dhoni, not Tendulkar the dangerman: Swann

Dhoni, not Tendulkar the dangerman: Swann

London: When everyone is waiting with earnestness to see Sachin Tendulkar scoring his 100th international century in what could be the 2000th Test in the history of the game and 100th Test match between India and England, spinner Graeme Swann said the home team should not waste too much of an effort to plan against the little master but focus more on opposition skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Though Swann acknowledged the threat Sachin has been giving to the opposition teams over the years, focusing only on him will be a big mistake, feels the English tweaker.
"I think it would be very risky to focus all our energies on Sachin Tendulkar," Swann was quoted as saying by English daily The Telegraph. "Sure, he's the best player in the modern generation and his record speaks for itself. But if we focus on him there could be someone sneaking in the back door to take it away from us.
Terming Dhoni as the key man in the Indian line up, Swann illustrated the fact that the ability of the Indian skipper to lead from the front makes him the dangerman for the English side.
"In Dhoni they’ve possibly got the most charismatic player India have ever had, given the sway he holds in that country. I think he's a more important member of the team than any other player because he leads from the front and is a very dangerous cricketer. If we can get at anyone I think he's the key man."
The Indian captain averages 33 against England, which includes four half-centuries in 13 innings he has played against them. But Dhoni is not just capable of playing match-winning knocks but also has an ability of digging in to save a match if needed. It was evident from the timely innings (76 not out) he played in his last outing at Lord's to save the match for India.