'Big mistake to take any side lightly' - Dhoni

It's been a rarity in recent times to see a full-strength India XI on the field during a Test match. At the Motera stadium on Thursday, MS Dhoni may finally be able to call on the best available, and with no injuries or niggles to complain of on the eve of the game, it was a prospect that he was looking forward to. "We have important series coming up," he said. "After this, we go to South Africa and then we have the World Cup. If you see the last few series we've played, more often than not we've missed key players."

The lack of continuity has been most keenly felt in the pace-bowling department. Zaheer Khan missed the three Tests in Sri Lanka, but has otherwise shouldered most of the pace burden, with no consistency at the other end. "Fast bowling is a demanding job," Dhoni said. "If a batsman is only 70 or 80 percent, you can still gamble and play him, but with a fast bowler you can't do that, especially when you're playing with two seamers and two spinners. If you're missing one bowler, it gets very difficult to get through 90 overs in a day."

New Zealand have lost eight of their last 15 Tests, and won only two, and were blanked 4-0 in a one-day series in Bangladesh recently. But according to Dhoni, there was no danger of India disrespecting their opponents or taking victory for granted. "It will be a big mistake to take any side lightly," he said. "They've got players who have performed everywhere they have played. Whatever happened [to New Zealand] in Bangladesh, we're not really thinking about that."

His own side have been ranked No.1 for nearly a year now and haven't lost a series since Sri Lanka in 2008. "Over the last couple of years, we've done well abroad too," said Dhoni when asked if he felt more pressure on home turf. "That's one thing with the Indian cricket team. The expectation level keeps on going up. It never comes down. Once you achieve a certain level, you're expected to maintain that or do better as a team. I think Indian cricketers have done well to manage the expectations and the extra pressure.

"It doesn't matter if you're playing Australia, New Zealand or Bangladesh. We set ourselves short-term goals. When it comes to a particular game, a lot depends on the toss."

Talk of the No.1 ranking was greeted with the usual nonchalance. "Winning games is closer [to my heart]," he said. "When you win games, the ratings take care of themselves. What the players and support staff are bothered about is how we do on the field, whether we've prepared well and planned for the opposition. At times in international cricket, you will be outplayed. But if you've done everything that you can, we accept that."

He did suggest, however, that the winning habit did much for team spirit. "When a team has lost a few games and pressure is applied, if they don't start well, they tend to fragment or go in different directions," said Dhoni. "When a team's used to winning, it sticks together and waits for an opportunity to do well or go back into a game."

That has been illustrated in each of India's last three Tests, when they've had to chase in excess of 200 to win games. At the P Sara Oval and the Chinnaswamy Stadium, they did so comfortably. At Mohali, VVS Laxman's genius helped them creep over the line in an incredibly tense finish. "I would certainly love to win the toss [laughs], but that's one good thing that has happened," he said. "In the fourth innings, batsmen have to play cautiously and even if set, one odd delivery can get you. It adds to the confidence of the batting unit."

The one man in that unit under a little pressure is Rahul Dravid, who hasn't had the best time of it in 2010. "He's a great player, and has always bounced back from situations like these," said Dhoni. "Once he's set, we're hoping he gets a big score. He's looking very good in the nets, so we expect runs from him."

There were encouraging words too for Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara, prominent in that Bangalore victory but certain to miss out on places in the XI here. "Vijay and Pujara were replacing Gautam Gambhir and VVS Laxman," he said. "When you have players like that coming back, they find a place in the playing XI. But I don't think it's demotivating. Vijay has always done well for India. And Pujara batted really well in the second innings in the last game."

India have now lost the toss in 10 successive Tests [Dhoni captained in nine of them, missing Chittagong through injury] and the spin of the coin aside, there will also be much attention devoted to the pitch, which has seen scores of 76 and 760 in the last two games played at the Motera. "Hopefully, it will be a turner," said Dhoni with a smile. "We'll have to see before the start of play. It has less grass when compared to the Sri Lanka game [November 2009] and a lot less than the South Africa game [April 2008]. It looks like a normal Indian track."