Happy with our preparation: Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Dhoni, under whose leadership India won the Asia Cup on Sunday, said that his side is looking to take one game at a time and not think about the final right away.

Addressing a press conference, Dhoni said, "When it comes to the expectation, I don't think it's any lesser than what it was in the 2011 World Cup as far as preparation is concerned. As far as this preparation is concerned, we had a perfect scenario. We started from Australia, played three T20's over there, had a bilateral series at home. We played in the Asia Cup. The preparation looks good. Fitness will be one of the concerns."

He also sounded cautious about fitness, stating it as an important determinant for the tournament.

"I spoke about fitness during the 2011 World Cup also. Because of the fitness issue, you may lose one out of the first eleven players, which you don't want. I feel the preparation of the team is good," Dhoni said.

When asked if they are thinking about the final right away, the Indian skipper said, "We don't think too much on  the expectation issue as it will double the pressure. We have a settled team. It is very important to be at the top of your game once you reach the knock out stages because if you miss out one chance then you'll be out of the tournament."

"It is not good to think about the final right at the start of a tournament. It is important to perform well in the warm up games and slowly do well and when the situation arises be ready for it. All the playing sides are very good and they have at least 2 or 3 players who can win a match on their own so We want to take it slow and steady and not think about the final too much," Dhoni said.

About his own batting, he said, "I have always felt good when it comes to batting. Up and down is something that keeps on happening in the batting department. Also you have to see the opportunity you are getting. Looking at the composition of the side where everybody will bat, I think 90 percent of the time I will be playing the same kind of role that I played in the Asia Cup. We will be in a very tough position if I get to play maybe 20 or 25 deliveries. More often than not I'll have to prepare myself for that 10 or 12 balls innings maximum. So that will be my role in the team more often than not," Dhoni said about his role.

The Indian skipper was also pleased with his bowling department.

He said, "What I feel happy about is that right from the very first over I know who is going to ball where for me and that is a big relief for me. It is good to have specific death bowlers and at the same time the bowling department is doing well."

On being asked the kind of wickets they are expecting, Dhoni said that it is difficult to predict it.

"The wickets have been very different right from the Australia series. I feel Australia was the best place to bat on. There was no movement but there was a lot of pace. The first game we played in Pune was completely different, it was more an English wicket. After that we got couple of wickets which were normal sub continental wicket. Yes, at the start of the Asia Cup it was more in the favour of the bowlers and all the teams found it very difficult to hit the faster bowlers but the final wicket looked more similar to the subcontinent wicket with a bit of help for the fast bowlers."

"We are likely to get flatter wickets where the batsman will play big shots and make the game more entertaining for the spectators, but sitting here it is difficult to predict the kind of wickets we will get," the Indian skipper said.

He also said that his team should be focused from the start.

The 2007 ICC World T20 winning skipper said, "The focus should be there from the very first ball. We have to keep our intensity high."

When asked if his Asia Cup final performance was for his detractors, he said, "I am not here to give answers to anyone. I have said it before that India losing a final is a bigger headline that India winning one. A lot of people will say a lot of stuff, what is important for me is to perform by role in the team. I know my role and for the team i'll have to fulfill them. People can criticise sometimes because they feel something should be done but what is important from the player's side is to see what the team needs."

The Indian skipper also said that they weren't complacent despite three tournament win prior to the tournament.

Mahi said that it is difficult to measure the challenges and said that no side can be taken lightly as they all have good players.

"It is difficult to measure the challenges but I feel it is a world class tournament. Every team is a good team. They have players who can play the big shots or have some fantastic bowlers. I feel it is quite even and they are not far away from each other. A few things will depend on the wickets or if Duckworth-Lewis comes into action. Stuff like that will definitely play a part but other than that I feel at the start of the tournament, all the teams are very good teams and everything will boil down to how you play on that particular day. You cannot take any side lightly, especially the big hitters. If they spend extra two overs in the middle and if they are playing majority of those balls then things can really change quickly."

About Mohammed Shami's condition, he said, "You will be notified. There is a proper way to deal with it. He will have to prove his fitness and then only he will get his chance."

When asked who he prefers in the number seven slot, a seaming or a spinning all rounder, the Indian skipper said that it depends on who is bowling at the other end.

"At the number seven slot I can have a seaming allrounder or have a spinning allrounder depending upon who I want to promote. A lot will depend upon who's bowling from the opposition," Dhoni said.

About his favourite for the tournament, he said, "I am not the critic, so I would say all the teams have a fantastic chance of winning this tournament."

He also spoke about his bench strength and said that he is happy with such a strong bunch. Dhoni however hinted at a set eleven and said that he is against experimentation. 

"It is good to have a problem of plenty. We feel we have given everyone a fair chance. The two fast bowlers will be Ashish Nehra and Bumrah. I don't want to experiment much with the team," he said.

Dhoni said that every player should look to be flexible as it will help the team play better.

"Not everybody can fluctuate according to the needs, that is something very important that every player tries to do it. It is important to have that adaptability factor," he said.

He also praised Virat Kohli for his match finishing ability, though he maintained that a finisher is not the right tag for his deputy.

"Always good to have someone like Virat. A finisher is a specific term, mainly for number 6,7 and 8. But is is good to see Virat going on and do the job of a finisher."

(Reporting by Sudipto Maity, Images by Subhodeep Sardar/IBNS)