AGENCIES
PERTH
India captain MS Dhoni is adamant his team won't be gunning for revenge when they confront arch rivals Australia during the upcoming five-match one-day series, starting at the WACA Ground on Tuesday.
India were bundled out of the World Cup semi-finals in brutal fashion by Australia last year, with the home side recording a 95-run victory at the SCG. The two cricket powerhouses share an intense rivalry - both in a competitive sense, and on a personal level.
The 'monkeygate' run-in between Andrew Symonds and Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh in 2008 saw relations between the two countries sink to an all-time low. Intense sledging has become a common occurrence between the two countries ever since. But Dhoni played down any desire to play for revenge over the world champions.
"When it comes to sport and cricket, I don't think revenge and hate are words that should be used," Dhoni said. "Because then on the same line we'll say it's a gentleman's sport, so it becomes quite conflicting.
"You want to compete. You want to win games, because at the end of the day you are representing your country and you want to win. But at the same time, you want to follow the guidelines I've been given - the spirit of the game and everything."
India were dealt a blow last week when paceman Mohammed Shami was ruled out for the entire series because of a hamstring injury. Doubt also surrounds the fitness of fellow fast bowler Ishant Sharma, who didn't feature in the recent tour matches against a WA XI side in Perth.
Australia will field two debutants - pace duo Joel Paris and Scott Boland - on what they hope will be a fast and bouncy WACA wicket.
