CT 2017: Michael Clarke wants India to go with experience in their playing eleven

Former Australian skipper Michael Clarke has recently spoken about the team combinations of the Indian team. The defending champions have been in a rampaging form in the lead up to the tournament. India, under the leadership of MS Dhoni, had beaten the English side in the finals of the 2013 edition of the Champions Trophy. Now, they are under the captaincy of Virat Kohli.

The captaincy duties have changed but the form has stayed the same. India have won both their warm-up games in the lead up to the tournament proper. They thumped the New Zealand side in the first warm-up that was a rain affected game. In the next game, a more complete performance was on the cards for the fans. They beat the Bangladeshi side by 240 runs.

They certainly look like the firm favorites for the tournament. Former Aussie cricketer Michael Clarke has picked up the India team as one of the four semi-finalists for the tournament along with England, Australia, and South Africa. The clinical wins of India in the warm-up matches has caused selection conundrums over the playing XI of the Indian team.

Trying to pick the right combinations for India, Michael Clarke opined that the team India must go with experience. Hence, he backed MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh to be in the middle-order ahead of Ajinkya Rahane.

“I’d go with the two most experienced players in Yuvraj and Dhoni. This is their time to really stand up. You do need the mix of youth and experience in the team. But if I have to pick between Yuvraj and Rahane, I would go with the experienced player,” conceded Michael Clarke.

On MS Dhoni

Over the years, Clarke has been very vocal about his admiration for the former Indian skipper. Talking about Dhoni, Clarke noted that he has been outstanding in the recent edition of the Indian Premier League. “MS Dhoni for me is a no-brainer. You have got to pick him. He was outstanding in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and still capable to win matches for the Indian team,” he quoted.