Team not to rest on past exploits, says Dhoni

Mahender Singh Dhoni believes in living in the present, does not carry burdens of the past and is clear about the direction his team is striving for in future.

The India cricket captain, expressing his thoughts on Asia Cup 2008, was clear that his team will be starting from scratch in the seven-nation event hosted by Pakistan.

“Indian teams have always done well in Pakistan, but that is in the past. For this team, the scenario will be different, the conditions will be different. We are working towards playing to potential, play to the best of our abilities. Then the chances of winning games are more.”

The Triangular Series final loss to Pakistan, the captain attributes as part of the game. “Winning and losing is all part of the game,” reasoned the skipper, stressing on the playing to potential factor as the surest way to record more victories than defeats.

The team flies out from Mumbai at a time when the silver jubilee celebrations of the 1983 World Cup winning squad is foremost in people’s mind. The current Indian captain, asserting his own leadership style and developing into a mature batsman as a result of responsibility, referred to Kapil Dev’s historic triumph with pride.

Dhoni (born July 1981) was an infant when India turned the one-day world upside down defeating West Indies at Lords on June 25, 1983.