By IANS
Sydney : Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni Saturday said his young side has shown the hunger to succeed at the international level and pressure will be on Australia in the first of the best-of-three finals of the Commonwealth Bank tri-series at the Sydney Cricket Ground Saturday.
“This team, after the eight ODIs, has shaped up very well. The bowling, batting and running are improving,” Dhoni said on the eve of the match.
“Those doubting the ability of this young side should now analyse how good the side has been compared to the previous teams that played in Australia. They should analyse the capabilities of the youngsters, how good they are at the international level.”
The Indian captain said Australia have cracked under pressure in this series and the Indians will look to apply the same tactics Sunday.
“Australia keep other teams under pressure. The best method is to keep them under pressure. They have been under pressure in this series and it will be good if we can keep it that way,” Dhoni said.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s the finals or the semis, we have to get the basics right. Sometimes we are desperate to win and that’s when the pressure mounts, so it’s important to be relaxed.”
Dhoni asked his team to focus on cricket rather than getting involved in on-field spats.
“Many things have been said about individuals throughout the series but we have still gone on to play good cricket. Cricket is about batting, bowling and fielding. The verbal part remains but we should focus on our cricket,” he said.
Dhoni said he would have to put his thinking cap on while deciding on the opening combination and the number of bowlers he would field.
“Sachin will open for sure. It is about his partner. It’s quite confusing whether to play five or four bowlers.”