Dhoni keen to put England loss behind

“There's no good reason why we should be thinking about England,” the Indian captain said on Saturday. “It is all about looking ahead, that is what we have done. “The Australia series is too far away, there’s no point thinking about it,” he added, refusing to look ahead into even next month. “The team is well motivated, we don't need someone to motivate us. It looks like a good wicket. Initially it will not turn much but hopefully as the game progresses, spinners will get a bit of turn.

“The West Indies are a good side, we will not look to take them lightly,” Dhoni said. “That is a mistake none of the international sides will make. They know the conditions also well because they are coming from Bangladesh, so we are expecting a good series. They have some good fast bowlers and Bishoo being a leg-spinner gets bounce; overall they are a good unit.”

There is a huge degree of inexperience in the Indian bowling, with only Ishant Sharma (38 Tests) and Pragyan Ojha (11) having played the longer version. “We will have two debutants,” Dhoni agreed, “but it's not difficult to manage them because most of the bowlers who will play here have played the ODI format, so they have a fair amount of exposure when it comes to international cricket.

“They will not get really excited. I feel with all these matches going around, they should not bother about the fact that they are new to Test cricket. Of course, there are seniors to help them and rescue them if they do get excited, but I am glad they are all looking in good shape.”

This will be India’s first Test series since the loss of the top ranking, but Dhoni revealed that that thought had not even entered his mind. “We are not bothered about rankings, and that’s what I said even when we were number one,” he pointed out. “We want to be the best in the world, but it is not something that you get or it’s not something that belongs to you. We did not do well in England and that's why we are not there. It becomes a process, the start of another process for us. Hopefully we will get there and sustain it.”