New Delhi: Gary Kirsten, Indian coach, praised the leadership qualities of Dhoni and said the ODI skipper was now ready to take over the Test captaincy from Anil Kumble.

"He is ready for it (Test captaincy) but there is no need to rush as of now. Kumble has done an exceptional job, he is a great leader and he is toiling in many overs for India. He is prepared to do 30 overs in a day. But he is on the other side of the physical side of the game.

" Dhoni is a great thinker. He has got fantastic skills in terms of understanding the situation. He is the best ODI batsman in the world. He plays every situation really well. He is a very good keeper as well," Kirsten told  media.

When asked about Yuvraj Singh's prolonged poor run of form, Kirsten said this break would help him to make a strong comeback.

"You too go through that. They have an extended run of form, then confidence drops. They have a fear out there of going to bat. Sometimes the break does a world of good. They come back.

"I am hoping that this break does him a lot of good and that he can comeback really motivated and determined. We all want to see Yuvraj hitting the ball hard. He is as good as anyone," he said.

While pointing out that a balance is important for the side, Kirsten also made it clear that the seniors players cannot sit on their past laurels and need to perform consistently.

"We will have to discuss. Mixture is important. The important thing is that we are not rushing into making the right decision at the right time. Senior players in the Indian team are fully aware that they need to continue performing. It's not what you did three years ago but what you did a couple of months ago," the 40-year-old said.

Agencies

Tags: ms dhoni, gary kirsten, test captaincy, anil kumble, team india, yuvraj singh.