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Dhoni tells India to have courage of convictions

India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said his world number one team must shrug off the absences of strike bowlers Zaheer Khan and Shanthakumaran Sreesanth and face the West Indies with conviction.

Dhoni was speaking ahead of the first Test, starting on Monday at Sabina Park, where the pitch is likely to favour the home team’s fast bowling, and typically free-scoring batsmen.

“That’s what Test cricket is all about,” he said. “You have to negotiate good bowlers and balls, and as a batsman, you need to push the bowlers to bowl into your zone.

“It will be a good competition for our batsmen. I think the pitch will be different from the first three one-dayers, where the ball turned a lot. This is an ideal opportunity for each and every individual, and that’s how I want everyone to look at it.

“What’s important is to create an atmosphere where they love the challenge, because if there is no challenge, you can’t prove the mettle you have.”

Dhoni was concerned about his team’s bowling ahead of the Test, with Munaf Patel struggling with an elbow injury.

The visitors were already short-handed with the withdrawal of Khan and Sreesanth with injuries, and they have been further hampered, with the arrival of Abhimanyu Mithun held up by visa problems.

“With some high-profile series coming up, what’s important is to keep all the bowlers fit,” he said.

“Fitness is one area that can have a real impact because it’s not a short format where you need to bowl only four overs or 10 overs.

“In a Test match, you may need to bowl 15, 16, 17 overs, and sometimes close to or over 25 overs in an innings, irrespective of whether you are a fast bowler or a spinner.

“Fitness is the key because you need your best bowlers to play in the high-profile series, and it’s important for them to be in a space where they are physically and mentally fit.”

In this regard, Dhoni said he welcomed his recent break from the game, which meant missing the preceding five one-day internationals.

“Personally, the break has helped me,” he said. “It’s not the first time I have taken a break, but you will find that small injuries vanish suddenly.

“You will have plenty of energy, you are not running on a reserve battery, and you want to do more and more things in the net session, like giving time to wicket-keeping, batting, or bowling for fitness.

“The break has helped me, though it was not a very long break, about 15 days, and not to forget the 48-hour journey from Delhi to Jamaica. But overall, I am happy with the break I have got, and I am happy to be back in action.”

Dhoni said it was too early to judge the effect of new India coach Duncan Fletcher, but praised the Zimbabwean’s success with an inexperienced line-up during the ODIs.

“Of course, we all miss (our former coach) Gary Kirsten, but again every individual is different, so we shouldn’t be really looking to compare, as their ways will be different,” he said. “But I think it’s a positive step in the right direction.”

Kirsten left his job with India, after taking the side to the World Cup title in April, and is the new coach of South Africa.