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Dhoni aims for a 7-0 whitewash against Eng

Press Trust Of India

Last Updated: November 24, 2008, 15:12 IST

Dhoni aims for a 7-0 whitewash against Eng

You will see a few changes in the side in the next three matches, says Dhoni.

Bangalore: India's skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is aiming at a 7-0 whitewash in the ODI series against England, despite having clinched the series by taking an unassailable 4-0 lead after winning a thriller here.

The Indian team for the fifth match in Cuttack is likely to undergo changes in order to rest some senior players, who have played a lot of cricket in recent months.

"You will see a few changes in the side in the next three matches. Some of the people who have not played in the series so far will play but we still look to win games," Dhoni said after leading his team to a 19-run win via Duckworth-Lewis method.

"Three more matches to come and we want to win those games," he said.

With the match reduced to 22-overs-a-side following two rain-interruptions, Indian bowlers survived some anxious moments before taming the opponents and Dhoni said the task was not easy.

"Because of the wet outfield, the ball became soggy and it was not easy to grip the ball. We have one specialist spinner (Harbhajan Singh) and part-time spinners. It was really difficult for them to grip the ball.

"But then Zaheer (Khan) bowled very well, along with Ishant (Sharma) and Munaf (Patel). Overall it was a very good team effort," Dhoni said.

Asked how he was marshalling his bowlers in such tense situation, Dhoni said, "I was not giving much advice. First I like them to bowl to their own plans and if that does not work I ask them to bowl according to my plans.

"But Zaheer has been of great help throughout the series and has taken the extra initiative to help others. It has worked for us and we should be thankful to him," Dhoni added. England captain Kevin Pietersen said his team lost to a formidable side.

"India is playing fantastic cricket at the moment. It was a learning curve for the youngsters and also the guys who have been around. It's never nice to lose a series and we are now 4-0 down in the series. But it was against a side which has beaten the mighty Australia and now England," Pietersen said.

Trailing the seven-match series 0-4 and facing a possible whitewash, Pietersen said England attack lost its firepower in India's placid tracks.

According to him, the Indians are generally vulnerable to swing and bounce but the tracks here were quite unresponsive.

"It has been a totally different ball game here," Pietersen rued.

The England captain, meanwhile, was highly impressed by the Team India vice captain and said, "Sehwag is great to watch."

first published:November 24, 2008, 15:12 IST
last updated:November 24, 2008, 15:12 IST