Chennai, Dec 12: Ahead of the big Australia tour, India skipper MS Dhoni stressed that his team needed to keep things simple and focus their own strengths and weakness rather than worry about the opposition and the conditions. Dhoni believed that consistent performances over a period of time would eventually win back India’s No. 1 spot in Test rankings.

Excerpts from Dhoni’s press conference ahead of the tour to Australia:

On picking a bigger feat between winning the series in Australia and the No. 1 Test ranking

Winning the next game because if we keep winning the next game, both things will take care of themselves. We don’t think too much about the results […] If we stick to the process [and] do the small things right, we will achieve both [feats]. We shouldn’t be worrying about any of the two things; for us it’s a process.

On the factor that makes people believe this is India’s best chance to win in Australia

If you see the injury list, it looks quite blank as of now, which means the fifteen or sixteen [players] that got selected [in the squad] will be available for selection [in the playing eleven]. That takes a bit of the pressure off; you don’t need to worry about the playing eleven that much. Most of the players get a berth on their own merit so that really helps. Apart from that, the batting line-up looks the same [as in the previous series]. Bowling-wise, Zaheer [Khan] is back and we have got somebody like Umesh Yadav who can bowl at over 140 [kph]. I think it looks like a good pack and we just need to do well in the field.

On the chances of winning in Australia

Even when we were there the last time, we had a very good chance. We did really well, performed well. It’s not like if the opposition is not doing well, that’s our best chance. We have to play to the kind of talent we have got, worry about the things that we need to worry about, work on our strengths and weaknesses. So we are more concerned about what we need to work on and [plan] not to worry too much about the kind of opposition we are playing.

On the missing fireworks (some of the players who were part of the 2008 series missing from the upcoming tour)

We try to keep the fireworks off […] We have seen that both sides have got talented players. If somebody like Virender Sehwag starts scoring, there will be fireworks on the field ­– not on the verbal side, but with the bat. If the bowlers get going, [then] the ball will do the talking. Hopefully we will try to keep the controversies away.

On the expectations from the Indian team in 2012 as opposed to in 2011

The World Cup [2011] was one of the biggest events for us. The process or the plan was to win the World Cup. It was not something that we decided last December. The plan was already there close to over two, two-and-half years before the start of the World Cup. That was one big event where we wanted to do really well and being the host country, we were under pressure [to perform]. [We are] happy with our performances in that particularly tournament. The England series is one series that did not go our way; but that happens in international cricket. Overall, we have done well. When it comes to consistently playing cricket throughout the year, that’s something we have achieved. We were bothered by injuries quite a few times. We have missed quite a few players and at the same time rested big names during some of the tournaments. [All things considered], I am quite happy with the performance. We will try to do everything well again [in 2012] because we are expected to win each and every tournament […] We always try to give our hundred percent. The result is not really under our control; the process, and how we prepare for a particularly game, is. So that’s what we focus on.

On India dominating the cricket world

It is not about dominating the cricket world. It is all about achieving something as a team. That is what we did during the World Cup. As I said earlier, it is a constant process throughout the cricketing career of an individual. Individuals want to do well and the team to do well at the same time; I think [that] is the most important thing. We try to improve and try to be consistent. Once you reach the top, being there is one of the most difficult tasks as the other sides are constantly improving and we try to be better than the other sides. It is a process. It is something that you do not achieve in one day’s time. You need to work on it for months and months and build up a side and try to keep the side injury-free.

On comparing the current Australian side to that of 2008 and whether this was India’s best chance to win a Test series in Australia

Even the last time we considered it to be the best time. Few think that the last Australian team was much better than the current Australian side. Some of the [present players] were not part of that [2008] side; to judge them is quite a difficult task. For example, Anil Kumble was part of our side. The spinners coming in [now] are not as experienced as him, that’s the reality. He has been playing for over 15 years so he was our most experienced guy. The same thing applies to the opposition. They had big players; Adam Gilchrist and others were there. I think the big names missing from [their] present set up is one of the reasons a few people think this is our best chance. But we did well at that time also and quite a few things happened in the series. Most of you watched that. We will try to keep all those things away [from the game]. We are a good side and we need to do well on the field. That is what we are focussing on.