Ravi Shastri

Ahmedabad: Former India captain Ravi Shastri briefly spoke to The Telegraph on Wednesday evening.

The following are excerpts:

His take on Thursday’s India vs Australia quarter final

For the first time ever, India go into a match against Australia as the favourites. It’s a great position to be in... I expect a terrific day’s cricket.

On what India should do...

Focus on their strength, which is batting, and negate the new ball.

The one player who could make the biggest difference

Look, we’ve got depth and have all bases covered... We just need to play to potential.

What should not be done

Losing more than three wickets in the first 15 overs.

India have to be wary of...

Brett Lee with the ball, Shane Watson with the bat.

Lastly, if he has a message for Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his team

Be relaxed, enjoy the match... Don’t play to Australia’s strengths and go hard at Ricky Ponting. Make him feel the heat from the time he walks in.