Dhoni eyes win to end year

Chennai: India hope to end the year on a high by winning the two-Test series commencing here today, but to achieve that the team needs to play with the same intensity as they did to vanquish Australia 2-0, said skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Speaking to reporters after unveiling the Royal Bank of Scotland Cup, Dhoni said: "It is important to win the series and end the year on a good note. That will be our approach to the series."

Dhoni said that England has a good bowling attack but his batsmen are in good form to tackle them.

"We would not like to think too much about our opposition but focus on our game. It is important that we execute our plan on the field and get our basics right. We need to play at the same level as we did against Australia. We have to play with aggression, but in a controlled manner," he said.

Dhoni said that the team composition is yet to be decided.

"We have not decided on the playing eleven and there are no injuries. The pitch in Chennai usually has good bounce for the seamers and turn in the later part of the match. The spinners should do well here."

Good scores

On out-of-form Rahul Dravid, Dhoni said: "He is shaping up well and if he focuses on areas where he needs to, he will definitely get good scores."

He also had a word of advice for in-form Yuvraj Singh, who was selected on the Test squad as a replacement for retired Sourav Ganguly.

"Yuvraj should be himself and not think as a replacement for Sourav Ganguly. From the team's point of view, we would like Yuvraj Singh be Yuvraj Singh," Dhoni said.

Asked whether the presence of heavy security will spoil the spirit, Dhoni said: "We have no control over this and it does not really bother us. Our focus is on cricket."

Dhoni also appreciated the England team for having returned to India for the Test series. "We are grateful that England decided to come back and play the series, but that is their decision. We would be focusing on our game plan. The best we can do for India is to play our best cricket as professionals."

Asked whether the players have any plans to contribute their match fees towards the families of the victims of the recent Mumbai terrorist attacks, Dhoni said: "Action speaks better than words. I would not like to advertise what we have done."

The English team has announced that they would contribute half the match fees to the families of the victims of the Mumbai terror attacks.