NEW DELHI — Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was ruled out of the Asia Cup in Bangladesh due to a side strain suffered during the recent New Zealand tour, the Indian cricket board said Thursday. Top-order batsman Virat Kohli will lead India in the five-nation tournament which starts Tuesday, while Dinesh Karthik will replace Dhoni as wicketkeeper, the board said in a media release. “Dhoni suffered a grade-one strain to his left side during the second Test against New Zealand in Wellington and will undergo rehabilitation for 10 days,” the release said. The Indian team returned early Thursday from the tour where New Zealand won the one-dayers 4-0 and also clinched the two-Test series 1-0. India plays host Bangladesh in its first Asia Cup match in Fatullah next Wednesday. Defending champion Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan are the other teams in the tournament, the symbol of one-day supremacy in the region. Dhoni, who captains India in all three formats of the game, is expected to be fit for the World Twenty20 which will also be played in Bangladesh from March 16. Revised squad: Virat Kohli (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ambati Rayudu, Ajinkya Rahane, Dinesh Karthik, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Varun Aaron, Stuart Binny, Amit Mishra, Ishwar Pandey. Pakistan needs to improve batting Former captain Zaheer Abbas said Thursday that Pakistan could be the world's best team if it improves its batting, a frequent weakness in the recent past. Pakistan was bowled out for its lowest Test total of 49 by South Africa in Johannesburg during a 3-0 rout last year. The 66-year-old Abbas is helping the faltering batsmen in a four-day camp to prepare for next week's Asia Cup in Bangladesh. “I will do my best to help the batsmen overcome their problems and I am sure if our batting improves we can be the world's top team,” he told reporters. Pakistan has failed to find a suitable opening pair in all three formats, and its shaky middle order relies heavily on the ageing Younis Khan and captain Misbahul Haq. Rotating pacemen Pakistan, stung by injuries to key bowlers, will soon implement a rotation policy for its pacemen to prolong their careers, the team's bowling coach Muhammad Akram said. “We have spoken about it and I have discussed it with the two captains and coaches and it is something we will be implementing soon,” Akram told reporters Thursday. “Obviously in our set-up every captain wants to field his strongest bowling line up in every match,” he said. “But the realization is there now that with the amount of matches being played these days bowlers need to be nursed and handled with care.” — Agencies
