Cricinfo - India to use Twenty20 as 'practice'

Cricinfo - India to use Twenty20 as 'practice': "ndia to use Twenty20 as 'practice'

Brydon Coverdale in Melbourne

January 31, 2008


Ricky Ponting is no certainty to play in the Twenty20 match against India as he continues to battle a back injury © Getty Images


At the MCG on Friday, the world champions will attempt to maintain their unbeaten run against a talented opposition boasting a number of fresh faces. But in a reversal of the usual trend in recent years, Australia are the challengers and India are out to confirm their status as the world's best Twenty20 side.

The teams have met twice before in the shortest format and India came out on top both times, first with a 15-run semi-final win at the ICC World Twenty20 and then with a seven-wicket triumph in Mumbai a month later. However, India's captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said his side was not overly concerned about Friday's result.

They have a 17-man squad to choose from and nine of those players were not part of the Test group. Dhoni said because the new arrivals had had only one training session in Melbourne, India would need to treat the Twenty20 as a chance to warm up ahead of the tri-series that also features Sri Lanka.

'We will take the Twenty20 as one of the practice games,' Dhoni said in Melbourne. 'The guys are more serious about the Twenty20 World"