Team composition the plus point - Dhoni

The jet-set world of international cricket today leaves the players hardly any time to catch their breath between series, but for Mahendra Singh Dhoni it went too far this afternoon: he didn't even have the time to change clothes, jumping straight off the airplane from London into a press conference on the eve of the ICC World Twenty20. He tackled questions about the new players and a team inexperienced at the format, the terrible fielding, and the lack of time to prepare with a fair amount of candour. He stressed on the need to be "open minded" and learning and adapting quickly.

Thanks to the seven-match ODI series, England and India are the only two teams not to have played practice games before the tournament. Most of England's players, of course, have plenty of experience in this format, but Dhoni stressed that the Indians would have to see and learn. "The schedule was such that sometimes you don't have any option. We've only played one international game, but what matters is how we adapt. We'll get quite a few matches before we play, the newer guys are quite good at adapting, so that'll definitely help."

The plus point, according to Dhoni, was the composition of the team. "I think 12 of them can bowl and bat - we'll see the wicket and then decide, but we have lots of options, and if you have options there is a good chance of the team doing well."

As batsman and wicketkeeper, Dhoni will already have plenty to do. Add captaincy to all that, and his cup of responsibility will be overflowing. "It's a form of game which changes every couple of overs, so you have to do your homework and have three of four plans ready," Dhoni said, suggesting there would be plenty of strategising in the dressing room over the next couple of days. "You need to make split-second decisions, stay open-minded and take the best alternative."

The hectic schedule and the poor fielding could both affect the team's performance, but Dhoni brushed aside those concerns. "If you are playing for India you are always busy - it's not about how fresh or tired you are. We had a long tour, and of course it is exhausting, but the tournament we're playing here is the World Cup, that itself brings the excitement and the freshness with it. Plus quite a few guys are fresh, so I don't really think that factor will impact our game much.

I don't think it's a total batsman's game - the new Kookaburra ball does a bit, the batsman doesn't have time to settle and has to go for it right from the start, which gives the bowlers a chance to take wickets

"We dropped a few catches [in England], but our fielding wasn't that bad. We pushed the England batsmen when they were taking singles and twos as well. Of course England were better in the circle, the fielders in the circles are flashy, they dive and save the runs. But our Twenty20 side has a lot of youngsters, and have come through different camps, so you will definitely see a better fielding performance from this side."

And while the common perception might be that the bowlers are only there to be carved all over the park, Dhoni had a different take. "I don't think it's a total batsman's game - the new Kookaburra ball does a bit, the batsman doesn't have time to settle and has to go for it right from the start, which gives the bowlers a chance to take wickets. The bowlers need to bowl in the right areas, and try and guess what the batsman is planning to do."

If it's 2007 and if it's a cricket world cup, it's almost inevitable that there will be flashbacks to the West Indies, and to India's dismal performance there earlier this year. For Dhoni, though, it was just so much water under the bridge. "For me it's a fresh start. I'm not thinking about what went wrong in the West Indies. Ultimately it's a game and the players need to enjoy what they are doing. The problem that we cricketers face is that we don't always enjoy the game; we are too much into it. I just want the 14 players to enjoy the game."

And to prove that this isn't do-or-die for any of the team members, Dhoni indicated that his players had the license to fail in this format. "[Virender] Sehwag might get out going for his shots, or Harbhajan might go for runs if he bowls in the Powerplays. I don't think we can judge a bowler or a batsman from [his performance in] this form of the game."

India's opening match is against Scotland, at Durban, on Thursday.