Team India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Tuesday said that it was important to begin the new season on an enterprising note by performing well in the limited-overs series in Sri Lanka.

 

Dhoni said that a good series against Sri Lanka would also be a confidence booster for the World Twenty20 in September-October.

 

India play five one-dayers and a one-off Twenty20 International against Sri Lanka, starting July 21.

 

“It’s hectic schedule but as professionals we have to maintain our standards. We will play in different venues and travelling will also be there. It’s the start of the season and we want to start it on a good note,” Dhoni told reporters ahead of the team’s departure on Wednesday.

 

“Sri Lanka is not a new place for us. We have played series there at least once each year and even twice in a year. Conditions are also not so different from India and acclimatising will not be difficult,” he said.

 

“This Sri Lanka series is good for us. We have to be back in Sri Lanka again for the World Twenty20 . It will help us,” he added.

 

Asked to comment on the role of a captain in improving performance, Dhoni said: “I don’t want to name an international team. But if you are made captain of Alaska team it will be very difficult to win matches. A captain’s job is to channelise the resources. The individual reactions are also important.

 

“How the bowlers perform and how the batsmen build partnerships are important. Without a good team it’s difficult to achieve success,” said Dhoni.

 

Dhoni talked about the hectic schedule of the Indian players but said that as professionals they have to play to win each and every match.

 

“The first break we got was in 2007 after I started playing for the country in 2004. Breaks in between are necessary and a bit of break between the seasons will do a world of good. It would be difficult to have one-and-half month rest before each series,” Dhoni said.

 

“Next year, there is bit of a gap between each and every series. That is a good sign for us. This is the longest break that we have got during the last five years and it is not possible to get such breaks often,” he added.

 

He said the team was working on improving in all the three departments of the game which, he said, would also be important for the World Twenty20.

 

“I can’t discuss the team strategy here but we have to improve in all the three departments of the game. We are also doing specific fielding practices and we want to improve in fielding,” Dhoni said.

 

“Now most of the players have come back after a long break… the body looks very different and their fielding and other activities look very different. We will make the most of the rest that we have got.

 

“For the last few days since we have assembled here we have been practising hard and had fairly long sessions. We also went through specific sessions. We look forward to be successful in the coming series,” said Dhoni.

 

Dhoni said that the short series against Pakistan later this year would be a bit tough for the players because of the hectic schedule but added that they would have to be ready and do well against their arch-rivals.

 

“We are professional cricketers. The series will have to be played and we must be ready for it. There’s no room for sentiment since we are taught to be professionals on the field.

 

“We have to be positive and we have to understand that we are representing the country. It will be a bit tough because of the hectic schedule but we have to do well against Pakistan also,” he said.

 

Coach Duncan Fletcher conceded that India had a difficult time last season but said he was hoping for a turnaround this year.

 

“It was a difficult season if you consider the three or four big tours that India undertook. I came over here after the IPL and have been talking to Dhoni and other officials. I have certainly discussed various aspects with them and I do not think it is necessary for me to talk about it in this forum.”

 

“Hopefully, sometime things will turn around. Look, the players have come back after a break and look a very good team for the moment. There is lot of intensity in what they do. Hopefully they can maintain it and turn the results around,” Fletcher said.

 

Asked what specific areas the team needs to work on, Fletcher said: “I think you have to work on every area. It is very important how they work to improve upon.

 

“We are going to Sri Lanka and would be returning after about four weeks and then going again for the World Twenty20 . So, we have to work on every area for good results.

 

“I have got good response from the players. Everyone seem to enjoy the inputs that I have brought into the side. I have also really enjoyed working with them,” he said.

 

On the meeting with the Board president N. Srinivasan Tuesday, he said: “I had a couple of meetings with the president of the Board. I had a meeting during the IPL final and I had a meeting with him this morning.

 

“From my point of view I think the meetings went on very well and I do not think we can discuss the details in this forum.

 

“We had a good chat this morning for about an hour and a half. Hopefully from my point of view everyone accepted certain views and how we need to see what is happening in the future.”