BANGALORE: India captain MS Dhoni asserted that the bilateral series taking place between arch-rivals Pakistan and India after five years would start on a fresh note although, a bit of on-field banter between the players is acceptable, adding that both teams were evenly matched.

“This is a very important series as we’re playing a bilateral series against them after a long time. So both teams would want to keep away from any such activity on the field that could be a point of debate,” Dhoni was quoted as saying on the BCCI website.

“When two teams are playing for their respective countries, a bit of banter is fine. However, we will try that the limit of banter is not crossed and no big incident happens on the field,” he added.

Dhoni said that the format of the series was such that every match was important.

“You start every series on a fresh note. T20 cricket teaches you to let go of the result of the last match because every alternate day you have a game. In a short format like this, close games are a norm and we have to quickly move on from a close defeat,” Dhoni said.

The Indian captain added that both teams had equal chances of winning, saying it all came down to how the players performed on the field.

“We have seen that it’s not about how good the team looks on paper but about how the individuals perform on the field. I believe that the teams are evenly poised right now.”