Seniors help ease the pressure - Younis

Younis Khan, the Pakistan vice-captain, has said that India could regret the decision to drop Rahul Dravid for the first two ODIs because senior members performed the vital role of easing pressure on the youngsters in tense situations.

"We don't have too many seniors in the Pakistani team. [Mohammad] Yousuf and I are perhaps the only oldies," Younis told PTI. "You always need seniors because, when put under pressure, the youngsters may lose it. So when you have players like Sachin [Tendulkar], [Rahul] Dravid and [Sourav] Ganguly in the side, who have handled pressure several times, it only helps the youngsters.

"If you drop a player like Sachin then you need to have somebody who can achieve at least 75% of what he has done. Take the Australians for instance; they don't drop somebody before they have a replacement ready."

India and Pakistan have played each other in 22 one-day internationals since 2004 and know each other well. Younis said that his team was not targeting specific individuals since India had a cluster of match-winners in Tendulkar, Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Robin Uthappa.

Younis has plundered the Indian bowling in Tests and averages 106 in 11 innings with four hundreds and three fifties. In ODIs, however, Younis's record against India isn't so flash. He averages just below 30 in 22 matches and his average in India is only 16 in five ODIs. Younis, however, was confident of making significant contributions to his team.

"I have always performed well against India," Younis said. "Even when I'm not in form, I strike form. I am sure I will do well this time around as well."

One Pakistan batsman who desperately needs runs is the man Younis replaced as the team's vice-captain. Salman Butt was dropped from the team for all the ODIs against South Africa and was stripped of the vice-captaincy for the tour of India.

"I would not say that it [vice-captiancy] was putting pressure on me but I think somebody who has been in the team for a long time is better for the job. In the meantime, I can just focus on getting good results with the bat and improve myself. The seniors can make plans and strategies and we would just follow them."

Butt warmed up for the one-day series by scoring 83 against Delhi and his excellent ODI record against India - all three of his one-day centuries have come against them - could count in his favour when Pakistan decide on their XI for the first ODI in Guwhati on November 5.