Dhoni thankful of break ahead of World Cup

Adelaide, Feb 7 (IANS) India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni likened the country's cricketers to steaks on barbecue and in context of the team's workload ahead of the ICC World Cup, Saturday said there's a fine line between cooked and over-cooked.

India have been in Australia for three months and haven't won a game having played four Tests and an ODI tri-series, also involving England. 

Dhoni admitted his players are feeling the heavy workload but insisted they will rise to the occasion of the World Cup. 

"I know that cooked and over-cooked is a very fine line between them - and especially if you do a barbecue you can understand that," Dhoni told reporters Saturday. 

"It's not easy to play four Test matches and then followed by a tri-nation series. So this break would have definitely helped them to recharge their batteries ... only time will tell." 

India took a week break after they failed to make it to the final of the tri-series. But Dhoni himself made a huge personal sacrifice as he missed the birth of his first child. 

His daughter was born Friday but asked if he would have preferred to have been in India in recent days, Dhoni replied: "Not really. I have been blessed with a baby daughter. Mum and daughter both are good." 

"But as of now I am on national duty so I think everything else can wait. The World Cup is a very important campaign. Everything else can wait." 

Dhoni's team open their World Cup defence Feb 15 against arch-rival Pakistan here. 

"A lot of people have different views about it," he said. 

"How I personally take it forward is it's similar to playing against Australia, Sri Lanka or any other Test-playing nation. Because the moment you start thinking about the traditional rivalry and all of that, you're just adding pressure to yourself." 

"Also what we have successfully done in the last three to four years, we have mellowed down the things that apart from cricket happen on the field ... we have minimised the verbal things that often happen between the cricketers."