Chennai, Dec 13: India may have lost their top Test ranking to England earlier this year but fans and supporters look forward to their reclaiming it as they set out on their tour of Australia. Skipper MS Dhoni, known for his pragmatism, believes the ranking is not something that can be achieved overnight and that the team were working towards it. He added that the young team takes pride in wearing the India cap and is their primary motivation to perform.

Excerpts from a pre-tour media interaction:

On regaining the No. 1 ranking in Test cricket

It is a process. It’s not something [that] you achieve in a day. There will be quite a few series we have got [to work on] as a team. We have got our own plan as to where we need to be in two months’ time […]. It’s a long, constant process. One day you win a Test match and you become the No. 1 side in the world; it’s not because of that Test match. It’s because of the last two years that you have performed consistently and how the individuals have performed for the team.

On the areas that need improvement

[…] You want to improve in each and every department. You have seen players who have been part of international cricket for more than ten years and they still believe in improving. It’s a constant process. We would like to improve in all three departments […] – bowling, batting and fielding, because catching will be very crucial out there. The last series we played, we played in India so we didn’t have so many catching fielders; we will have a bit more catching fielders there. They say catches win matches and I think it’s true. That will be one of the areas we will have to work on. Big grounds, running between the wickets and trying to [rotate the strike]; all these small things help you put pressure on the opposition.

On motivating himself and the team

I am not short of motivation, that’s for sure. As a cricketer you want to play for your country and that itself is big motivation […] At the end of the day you want to be part of a dressing room that wins more games than it loses. These are the things that drive you as an individual. It’s most important to create an atmosphere where everybody is performing and enjoying his cricket. At the end of the day it is a sport. Often when you play for the Indian cricket team you get bogged down with the kind of pressure that goes around and the expectation levels that are set by others.

On his short break from cricket

I really needed this break. I am happy I got this break and the team also did really well. I am looking forward to the Australia tour. We need some time for preparation before the start of the first Test match. It’s looking good as of now and hopefully we won’t have too many injuries before the start of the Test series […] I am mentally fresh and few niggles [that were bothering me] are not there anymore.

On whether he was happy with the relatively inexperienced bowling attack

The bowlers are talented and when you don’t have your main bowlers, you need a bit of time [with the young crop]. The youngsters get experience at the top level by playing more and more games. Talent-wise we are there and it will be good exposure for the youngsters who will be part of the side.

For example, [R] Ashwin, made his debut in this series [against West Indies, while] Harbhajan [Singh] played in 98 matches and is one of the leading wicket-takers for India [but was missing from the attack]. Nobody knew what Ashwin could do, but he ended up winning the Man-of-the-Series award [in Test matches]. This is something that Duncan [Fletcher] said we had to be careful about. Just because the big names aren’t there doesn’t mean the bowling attack is weak […] Even when Shane Warne or Glen McGrath made their debuts, they started from zero wickets. You may be [on to a] great bowler [just] starting his career and playing his first few games.