Series win will wipe out WC woes: Dhoni

Kingston (Jamaica): The 2007 World Cup humiliation in West Indies still rankles in his mind. The wounds are still fresh, admitted Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. He wants to wipe out the troubled memories by winning the four-match One-day series against the hosts.

“Of course, it is not an easy thing to forget, especially that 2007 World Cup. It is always tough to forget that kind of tournament. It will be important for us to do well here,” Dhoni said ahead of the first match on Friday.

India had crashed out of the World Cup in the first week itself after embarrassing defeats at the hands of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

A year before the World Cup debacle, the team was thrashed 4-1 by the hosts in an ODI series.

If that’s not all, the Indian team comes into the series after a disappointing World Twenty20 campaign, where the defending champions failed to even make the semifinals and were bounced out by the Windies bowlers in the Super 8 match.

“Injuries are never good when it comes to your key players. But now that it has happened, the only good thing is it gives a chance to see the bench strength,” Dhoni said.

“When it comes to India, we have plenty of talent, but it’s about adaptability. International cricket doesn't have much to do with talent. It’s how you cope with the pressure and how you deal with the situations, how you react,” the captain said.

“This gives them the opportunity to spend time in the middle, play a few games, get a bit of experience and see what international cricket is all about. It would be good exposure for youngsters, who are part of the team right now and who have replaced the key players,” he said.

PTI