Dhoni’s India eye revenge

The squad is without big names such as openers Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag and frontline seamer Zaheer Khan,who are nursing various injuries,but promise to put up a good show with the return of pacer Ashish Nehra and some new talents.

The Indian team are packed with all-rounders in Yusuf Pathan and Ravindra Jadeja besides star batsman Yuvraj Singh,Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma. Their bowling department,as admitted by West Indies batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan,will be the main concern for the home side,especially the spinners.

MS Dhoni,who has vowed to bring cheer back to the Indian fans,has already made it clear to the opposition that his team were not short on confidence. “When it comes to playing for your country you don’t really need motivation to go out and perform,” Dhoni had said on his arrival in the Caribbean.

He also warned the hosts against relying on their Twenty20 form. “The West Indies are playing good cricket at the moment. They had a very good (world) 20/20 tournament,but in the 50 overs,you have time to settle down,” he said.

Consistency will be key

Dhoni believes consistency will be the key to success in the series,which begins on the slow track here. “The team whoplay consistent cricket will come out as winners. That will be the key,” he said.

Dhoni’s men,ranked third in the ICC’s ODI team rankings,would also take the opportunity to climb up the ladder ahead of Australia and inch closer to table-toppers South Africa,especially in the backdrop of their success in the last ODI series against New Zealand.

The West Indies are not taking the Indians lightly. “India are always a good ODI team and they will be looking to beat us after their Twenty20 disappointment. Sehwag and Tendulkar are two world-class players but they still have quality players to step up. They have a lot of experience in one-day cricket,” Gayle said. “They still have quality players in Yuvraj,Harbhajan Singh,Dhoni,(Ishant) Sharma,” he added.

“We’ve got experience within experience and hopefully we’ll come together as a unit,” said Sarwan,adding,“I think the key when we play India is to try and work the ball as much as we can.”