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Mumbai: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni steered clear of controversial questions like England star Andrew Flintoff's decision to freelance as a cricketer and the future of 50-50 cricket and instead focused on his team's next big challenge - the Champions Trophy in South Africa - on the eve of team India's departure on Thursday.
The one thing Dhoni was quite happy about was the news of opener Gautam Gambhir clearing the fitness test. Gambhir, who had suffered a groin injury in Sri Lanka, passed the test after physio Nitin Patel assessed him at the Bandra Kurla Complex in the afternoon.
"It comes as a big relief. It's good that Gambhir has recovered... he can really make a difference at the top of the order in the absence of Virender Sehwag," Dhoni said.
India open their campaign in the Champions Trophy against arch-rivals Pakistan on September 26, a game which will surely test Dhoni & Co. However, the skipper put things in perspective: "We prepare well and hard for every game and it really doesn't matter whether it is Australia or Pakistan. We would bother about what we are supposed to do."
However, when asked about the "extra motivation" while playing against Pakistan, he said: "There's history in Indian cricket and of course the romance of an Indo-Pak contest is always there. It's also good that we did well the last time we played at the Centurion (the venue for the India-Pakistan game) in 2003."
India are in a relatively tougher group along with defending champions Australia, Pakistan and West Indies.
About the absence of top stars Virender Sehwag and pace spearhead Zaheer Khan, Dhoni said: "This is what a team game is about. We can't do much about their absence but it is for the others to chip in for them and ensure that we keep doing well."
Surprisingly, Dhoni gave a clean chit to bowlers and focused on the batting. "The bowlers have done well of late but we need to shore up our batting, particularly the middle-overs and the slog overs."
On the return of Rahul Dravid, Dhoni said, "It's good to have players who have the experience, who have excelled in pressure situations. In that sense Dravid at No. 3 is a big help."
About the Indians' woes of facing short-pitched stuff like during the World T20 in England, Dhoni said, "Unlike the Twenty20 where you have less time to spend and you want to smash every ball, in ODIs you can choose or leave a delivery. Then again, a bowler bowling at a speed of 140kmph plus can test your skills. That the tournament will be played at only two venues is a comforting factor, especially when it comes to recovery after games."
