“What is really important is the response we get from the players”

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has announced that he is confident the national team will bounce back from their dismal 3-1 defeat in the Test series in the upcoming ODI series against England, which gets underway today in Bristol.

Surprisingly, Dhoni revealed that the Indian players had already gotten over the Test defeat and are looking to end the tour on a high.

“It has been relatively easy,” he said. “This generation of cricketers, they feel hurt and disappointed when they don’t do well but they realise how important it is to leave a tough series behind them, to take the learnings forward. That’s what makes them positive and that’s what helps them to improve.

“So, it has been quite easy but I would not say really easy. What is really important is the response we get from the players and, so far, it has been really good. We have got on with the job.

“It is a different format, the demands are very different, and the last few days have been good. When we have practised, it has been good. I have a feeling they will turn up well, tomorrow when we come for the game, and that they will take up the responsibility.”

Dhoni is also wary of England’s new top order threat, Alex Hales. The Indian captain conceded that Hales can be one of the most destructive batsmen in international cricket and even called him a “fantastic batsman”.

“Definitely, he is a fantastic batsman,” Dhoni said. “He is a tall guy, so he has got a different reach. He plays the spinners well, so he will be a good acquisition for the England side.”