Gambhir wary of tinkering with winning combination

India may have sealed the series 3-0, but stand-in captain Gautam Gambhir is keen to win the last two inconsequential matches against New Zealand to maintain India's unbeaten home season.

"Our target is to win all five games," Gambhir said ahead of Tuesday's match in Bangalore. "The team that plays better cricket for 100 overs will win. We are looking forward to performing well and hopefully we will keep the momentum going. We need to maintain the same intensity with which we played the first three matches."

Gambhir, along with Virat Kohli, has led India's charge with the bat in the series but he was full of praise for his bowlers, who have kept the pressure on New Zealand's batsmen. "The bowlers have done well in all the matches, even in conditions that varied," he said. "Whether the flat tracks in Jaipur or the seaming wicket in Vadodara, they have done well for us. Bowlers deserve the maximum credit for us winning the series."

The series may be in the bag but Gambhir said he was not too keen on tinkering with the line-up just to give the reserves a game. "It is an international game and we need to field the best team," he said. "It is not like that we have won the series and we will be taking things lightly. In the due course, if youngsters get an opportunity, I think they need to grab it. Right now, we would like to field the best available team for the match."

India's dominant performances with the bat have denied the middle-order the chance to make an impression. Gambhir appeared mindful of this and hinted at promoting players in the batting order.

"They have done it in the past and I think they should get enough opportunity to express themselves in international cricket," Gambhir said. "For example, Ravindra Jadeja or Yusuf Pathan have not got enough opportunities with the bat. Pathan has only batted in the last 10 overs...I may just ensure that Yusuf gets to bat with the top-order so that he can play enough deliveries and use his destructive batsmanship to good effect. If the situation arises, we might promote him to number five."

Gambhir reiterated that his run of success in his first assignment as India captain was down to the level of experience of the players he had at his disposal. "I have got such quality in the side that I don't need to do much. Bowlers like Zaheer, Ashish and Munaf have played enough international matches and Yuvraj has been of great help to me in the middle. If I need to take any suggestions, I know that there is someone to whom I can turn.

"It's not the captain alone who wins you a game,but the team effort is the main reason. I have enjoyed captaincy. It is a responsibility and to live to the best of my ability and hopefully I can continue in the next two games."