Zimbabwe tour was a good exposure for youngsters, says MS Dhoni

New Delhi: By beating hosts Zimbabwe by three runs in the 3rd T20I on Wednesday at the Harare Sports Club, Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led India sealed the series 2-1.

As the tour of Zimbabwe came to an end, Dhoni summed up the limited-overs tour as "good exposure" for the youngsters but insisted that the players learnt more from the T20s than the ODIs.

India had also clinched the ODI series 3-0 earlier.

After the 3rd T20I, Dhoni said: "The ODI and T20 series were good exposure for the youngsters. Personally I feel we got more from the T20s than the ODIs.”

India started the T20I series on a poor note as Zimbabwe shocked them in the opening T20 match. But then India rallied back in the series to win the last two games.

"Usually in this (T20I) format, the games get close. Zimbabwe did well, batted and bowled well," admitted Dhoni, adding, "They need more games to get better."

Dhoni seems happy with the way Indian seamers performed throughout the tour.

"In fast bowling department, we need a good pool of players. Now we can proudly say we have 10-12 players who can play for the country," added Dhoni.

On the other hand, Zimbabwe skipper Graeme Cremer took heart from the fact that his boys fought back after the ODI whitewash.

"Disappointing (that we lost today), but happy with the way the guys fought in the T20 series. One-day series was a tough beating and it was important to make a comeback in the T20 series. Nice to get a few more games. If we carry on playing, we'll get better," said Cremer.

(With PTI inputs)