When it comes to an India-Pakistan cricket encounter, the first word to pop in most minds is ‘pressure’. The cricketers feel it, the fans excite in it and narrators polish up their vocabulary to describe it. The tension in the air is palpable and losing is not an option.

It is, therefore, a big relief that India has a captain like MS Dhoni, who is a master of soaking in the pressure and controlling his emotions. As the two arch rivals take each other on, Dhoni expects the same from his players.

“This is a very important series as we’re playing a bilateral series against them after a long time. So both teams would want to keep away from any such activity on the field that could be a point of debate,” Dhoni said ahead of the first Twenty20 International of the series. “When two teams are playing for their respective countries, a bit of banter is fine. However, we will try that the limit of banter is not crossed and no big incident happens on the field,” said the Indian captain.

Team India has endured a tough time on the field in the last month and a half. Their series against England ended with a last-ball loss in the second T20I at the Wankhede Stadium. The Indian captain wants his boys to get over it quickly.

“You start every series on a fresh note. T20 cricket teaches you to let go of the result of the last match because every alternate day you have a game. In a short format like this, close games are a norm and we have to quickly move on from a close defeat,” Dhoni said.

As the team goes into the crucial series, the inexperience in pace bowling department is seen as their Achilles heel. Dhoni urged people to be patience with the young fast bowlers and give them some time to develop their skills.

“It’s important to realise the talent of the youngsters and at the same time, not forcing anything upon them they are not comfortable doing. All we can expect from them is to keep improving with every game and every practice session. The good thing is that these are the guys who bowl quick and with a bit of experience and guidance, they can achieve good things for us,” Dhoni said.

The Indian captain also played down the distinct superiority in the quality of Pakistan’s pace attack as compared to India’s. “We have seen that it’s not about how good the team looks on paper but about how the individuals perform on the field. I believe that the teams are evenly poised right now.”