India might be 0-2 behind in the series but MS Dhoni has utmost belief that his team can turn the tables on Australia in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.

“It is possible to turn things around,” the Indian captain said on the eve of the Test. “We have been competitive in the series so far. We have played good cricket right through the two Test matches apart from maybe 30-45 minutes, where we have lacked a few things. If we can arrest those shortcomings, we can turn the tide. We feel that we are close but it will have to reflect in our performance.”

A major reason of concern for India has been the inability of their bowlers to pick 20 wickets in overseas Tests. Dhoni said it is a mindset thing and it will change with experience.

“The mentality of our fast bowlers is different because we play more than 60 per cent of our cricket in conditions where they don’t bowl too many overs in a Test match,” Dhoni said. When we go overseas, they only look for one thing – wickets. At times they try too many things.

“What we have tried to inculcate in them is that when you play overseas, especially with the Kookaburra ball, the most important thing after the 25th over is to be consistent with your line and length. Ishant has learned it over the years with experience. The other bowlers have been playing Test cricket since only a year or so and they will get better as they play more matches. However, there has been a lot of improvement in their consistency,” the captain said.

One bowler in the Indian squad who is capable of being consistent with his line and length is Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Unfortunately for India, he has had to miss the first two Tests due to an ankle injury. The good news is that Bhuvi has resumed bowling since a few days now and he is available for selection. Dhoni, however, was apprehensive about bringing Bhuvi back too soon.

“He has been bowling again. He even bowled in the nets during the second Test. But want to load him up with a bit more bowling,” Dhoni said. “He is fit and available for selection but Test match fitness is different. You have to see how much of a load you can take over the five days.”

The key, Dhoni said, was to keep rotating the fast bowlers in order to avoid the situation where changes are made due to injuries.

“It is something we have already started. It was a lesson from our 2011 tour to England,” he said. “When you’re playing with four bowlers, it gets taxing for them in these conditions. So, there has been a conscious effort of rotating them so that they are fresh and we are not forced to make changes because of injuries.”

While Dhoni didn’t mention the possibility of any change in the Playing XI for the third Test, India’s training session gave the impression that Suresh Raina might be in with a chance to make it. Not only was he one of the first batsmen to have a hit in the nets but he also stood at second slip as Duncan Fletcher gave the cordon fielding practice. Dhoni said he would like to have Raina in the side because he can also bowl some handy off-spinners.

“When you’ve gotten a taste of Test cricket and you go back, it helps if you keep playing the shorter formats regularly. He has been working really hard on his game and it will only reflect when he gets a match,” Dhoni said of Raina. “We need someone like him in the team because not only is he a good batsman but also a very good bowler. He can get a bit of turn, bowl consistently and give me those 10-15 overs if needed. We are pushing batsmen to bowl a bit so they can give the fast bowlers some rest when needed.”