Enough time to adjust

Before his teams first practice game,the Indian skipper MS Dhoni said that,unlike during the England tour earlier this year,this time around his team has enough days to get used to the conditions

Before his teams first practice game,the Indian skipper MS Dhoni said that,unlike during the England tour earlier this year,this time around his team has enough days to get used to the conditions.

On the importance of good start:

It doesnt matter whether you are playing at home or away,if you have the momentum on your side,it helps a lot. Getting a good start is always crucial.

On the time to acclimatise: We are here about 12 days before the start of first Test. If 12 days are not enough,even a month wouldnt be enough. We have to make the most of the time we get. Thats how international fixtures are.

On the Australian side: On paper it looks like a different side (from last time). There are a lot of youngsters in the current side. They can be a Glenn McGrath or a Shane Warne in the making. Everyone has to start from scratch. I think they are a good side. How good we look on paper is not important.

On plans for the practice games: They are proper matches,we cant really control what will happen on the field. But we would like to give the youngsters in the team an opportunity to start the tour well. Of course,some of us have not played much cricket here. But the good thing is that somebody like Virat Kohli has come here and played in the Emerging Players Tournament. Everybody has fair amount of experience with the conditions here in Australia.

On the England tour: Conditions out here are very different from England. The wickets have a bit more bounce over here. Its not really the spongy bounce that you get in England.

On missing Harbhajan and Yuvraj: We will be missing them. But the players on this tour truly deserve their place. They have done well. Ashwin did really well in his debut series in India. Sure,the conditions out here are a bit different. Same goes with the batsmen. Virat has been doing well,and so has Rohit in whatever limited opportunities he has got after coming back.