December 19, 2007	Wednesday	Zilhaj 8, 1428

MELBOURNE, Dec 18: Australia have warned India of a hostile cricket series Down Under but vice-captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni says they will not shy away from maintaining that aggressive tempo which unnerved the world champions during their visit here for the ODI series.

“It will be interesting. They are famous for aggressive cricket and their temperament on the field. And we are quite ready for it. We showed it to them during the home series as well,” Dhoni said.

“I think it’s not about playing mind games. I believe in playing good, aggressive cricket on the ground and giving your 100 per cent and not using the media as a strategy to put pressure on your opponent,” said the wicketkeeper batsman.

He said adapting to the Australian conditions as quickly as possible will be a key to India’s performance in the high profile series. “You have to adapt quickly to the conditions and play according to the situation.

“We faced a lot of swing music when we went to England. Every country specialises in something and Australia is famous for bouncy tracks like England is for swing and India for spin bowling. So the challenges you face when you go to any country are different. You have to play well over a period of time and adapt quickly,” he added.—Agencies