Dhoni eager to smooth over cracks

India's fielding and bowling remain the focus for their captain MS Dhoni as they embark on the final leg of Sri Lanka's tour, a five-match series starting in Rajkot tomorrow. India's one-day fortunes have dipped in the last few months and Dhoni, while confident of their chances in the series, was keen to iron out the chinks that threaten to turn into gaping holes.

"We want to win the series that's what we are supposed to do, [but] at the same time not being overconfident is also important," he said. "We have to be in that phase of mind where you are very confident but at the same time not to cross that line. We are taking care of the things we need to do, including fielding and death bowling. We have quite a few areas we need to improve and are focusing on that. At the same time whatever our strong point is we need to be up there throughout."

Mike Young, formerly with the Australian team, has been appointed India's fielding consultant for the limited-overs series but the team's catching was abysmal in the two Twenty20 fixtures. "Since Mike has joined us we are laying emphasis on fielding ... he also needs a few specific sessions as coach," said Dhoni. "It's a very important aspect of any format of the game. If you can see the impact [of Young joining] in three days that will be great."

According to Dhoni, the results would be seen over a period of time. "We need to get our basics right and fielding is an area where if you are not in a good position [to field the ball] there are very good chances you can injure yourself," he said. "If you get your basics right and are also practicing well there are very good chances you would field well and the injury list also goes down at the same time. It will take some time but will start to reflect soon."

As for the bowling, Dhoni felt the bowlers would need to concentrate most on bowling in the last ten overs of an innings. "Variation is important [but] at the same time you have to bowl good yorkers. That is the key. Whoever is a good death bowler has to have yorkers. We are improving and [have] done well in patches. To be a very good side we need to be consistent, especially in the last eight or ten overs."

India will welcome back Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh, who were rested from the two Twenty20s. This will be Zaheer's first ODI appearance in ten months, following injury woes. "They are the most experienced bowlers we have got - Zaheer in the fast bowling department and Harbhajan as a spinner," said Dhoni. "It is very important to get early breakthroughs with the new ball, but at the same time put pressure during the middle overs, from the 15th or 20th to 40th ... to not give easy singles and attack with your best spinner and look to get wickets. We have seen wickets are so good to bat on and the only way to stop [the] opposition from getting runs is to take wickets."