Mumbai: Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said on the eve of the third test against Sri Lanka in Mumbai that his team is not thinking much about the prospect of becoming the number one team in the world as that would just mean an extra load of pressure on the players.

India is 1-0 up in the series and if they can clinch a win in Mumbai, it will propel them to the top of the ICC Rankings. Dhoni believes that the side should be looking to focus on winning the match and the rankings will follow.

“Winning the series is important but at the end of the day, if we do that, it will reflect in the ratings. We are not thinking about the ratings because we don’t really want to play under pressure,” Dhoni said on the eve of the third and final Test at the Brabourne Stadium. “You want to play your natural game, the whole team wants to play according to the game-plan. We don’t really think about the ratings because if we know that if we keep winning the games, if we keep playing well, the ratings will take care of themselves.”

Dhoni said that the first session of play is going to be crucial considering the pitch does seam around in the morning in Mumbai. “The first session, one to one and a half hours, will be crucial. That’s the time the seamers will get a bit of help. Again in the evening because this time of the year fast bowlers will, if they maintain the ball, be able to swing the ball for the least half an hour or so,” he said.

Asked about the pitch, Dhoni said that the Brabourne stadium, which is hosting its first test match in 36 years, has a typical Mumbai pitch which will assist the fast bowlers early on in the game before starting to turn.

“It looks like a normal Mumbai track, it’s the same soil. There will be better bounce for the fast bowlers and as the game progresses you will see spinners coming into action. You will see a bit of turn with bounce. That’s what spinners like. Overall it looks a good track,” he said.

Dhoni also confirmed that it would be Murali Vijay who would be opening the batting with Virender Sehwag in the absence of Gautam Gambhir. “Yes (he will open). That’s the only option we have right now,” he said. “The last time he played, he did well for us. Whatever domestic games he has played, there also Vijay has scored. So hope he gets off to a good start and gives us a good start at the same time.”

He said that Gambhir’s decision to opt out of the deciding game of the series to attend his sister’s wedding, was a personal choice. The in-form opener had scored two hundreds in the first two matches.

“It’s up to an individual if he feels it is important because it’s a very individual thing. If he feels he has to go, then he needs to go. It’s not what people feel about it, it’s what he thinks is important right now,” he said.

He also put all concerns regarding the finger injury sustained by S Sreesanth in Tuesday’s practice session to rest, confirming that he would be playing in the game before going on to praise the Kerala speedster’s fine effort in the second Test which he played after being out of the team for 19 months.

“He hurt his right hand little finger in practice, but it’s nothing serious. He will play,” the Indian skipper said. “He did very well in Kanpur. He bowled good lines, bowled in a very controlled manner. The change (Sreesanth for the out-of-form Ishant Sharma) really worked for us. I don’t think it was a track where the seamers were getting too much of assistance. There was not much bounce, a bit of reverse swing but the edges were not carrying to the slip. The only option was to get a batsman bowled or LBW.”

Dhoni expressed satisfaction over his bowlers’ display in the first two Tests.

“I am quite happy with the performance of the bowlers as far as the Test series is concerned. On the Ahmedabad wicket, there was no way you could take 20 wickets on that kind of a track. I don’t think we should be blaming the bowlers at all,” the wicket keeper batsman said. “Even  the Kanpur Test match, it never looked like a wicket where the game would get over with more than a day and a half to go. I think the bowlers did a good job in Kanpur, the seamers and the spinners.”

Asked about the composition of the team for the final test and a possibility of playing with three pacers, Dhoni said all options had to be weighed before taking a final decision. “If you see the past record, Tests and one-dayers or domestic games, usually the spinners come into action. Especially in India, on the fourth and fifth days, the game changes very quickly. But at the same time, you have to weigh the possibility of playing three seamers and if you can get the top four batsmen out very quickly, you will have the upper hand. So you have to weigh everything,” he said.

He, however, ruled out the possibility of using Sachin Tendulkar as a seam bowling option. “That will be a bit tough right now but if it’s needed, if it is doing too much, we can get a few overs out of him but not much,” he explained.

Dhoni also had a word of caution for his batsmen saying that they should not underestimate the struggling Sri Lanka spin ace Muttiah Muralitharan who hasn’t had any success on this tour so far.

“I think he has not got much assistance from the wicket. The batsmen also, they have played him well. They have been playing him for a long time. If you see our middle order and even the openers, they have faced Murali quite a few times. If you see the schedule, every year either we go there or they come here. They have seen more of Murali, they know what his strength is and accordingly, they plan their innings. He needs to works hard to get those wickets,” he said.

“It’s not that he has lost anything, he is still a great bowler. On this track, you will see spinners coming into action, so he is always a dangerous candidate to deal with,” he added.

The home team captain said that he expects Sri Lanka to bounce back from the drubbing they received at Kanpur. “They are a good side and expected to bounce back. At the international level, it doesn’t matter if you have lost the last game or it is a draw or you have won. Every game, you have to start from scratch,” he said.

Dhoni said it wouldn’t be easy for the fast bowlers of both the teams because of the incline from their long run-up to the bowler’s end stumps at the venue. “It’s a proper slope, almost like a step that you have to take before you bowl. It will be tough because it is quite inclined,” he added.

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