No better feeling than beating the best: Dhoni

4 MORE CLICK HERE

Vadodara: India are aiming to pull out all stops against Australia in the best-of-seven ODI series and provide a winning start to an eventful season, home team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said in the series souvenir brought out by the BCCI.

"We will be going flat out to bring a smile on the faces of our compatriots, and in the process make a successful start to what is going to an eventful season, with series against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and South Africa lined up in the months to follow," Dhoni said in his Captain's Log.

Saying that the visitors would be confident going into the series that started here on Sunday after their successful runs in the ODI series in England and in the Champions Trophy, Dhoni said there was no better feeling in cricket than "beating a formidable opponent".

"We have got used to experiencing it of late and would not like to break the habit," he said.

Complimenting his team-mates for having "handled the pressures and challenges that accompany a place in the Indian cricket team" very well, Dhoni said it was a privilege to be the captain of the team that has "achieved so much in so short a span of time".

Pointing out India's fine recent record against the three-time World Cup winners, including the historic tri-series triumph Down Under in 2007-08, Dhoni also recalled the defeat against the visitors in the seven-match ODI rubber in 2007.

"Only blip was our loss to them in the ODI series two years ago," Dhoni said about India's 2-4 loss in October, 2007.