Bridgetown: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is well aware of the fact that India have always struggled at the Kensington Oval and are yet to win a match at the venue, where they will be playing their second Test of the three-match series against the West Indies.

But being 1-0 up in the series after the 63-run win in the first Test, in Kingston, Dhoni is confident that his young team would be able create history in Bridgetwon. Speaking at the pre-match media conference, on Monday, Dhoni said that his pacers would have an important role to play in their mission.

The following are excerpts

On the fact that India have never won in Bridgetown

We will try to start something that has not been started… I will say the same things again. We will stick to the basics; we practised quite hard… We did some good practice. Today (Monday) was a slightly extended practice session. The areas in which we need to improve and put in a little extra effort, we have backed up those areas.

The areas that need improvement

Each and every department — right from batting, bowling, fielding, catching, everything… Because it’s the longer format of the game and you don’t want to make any errors on the field. In the first Test, in Kingston, it took us a bit of time to get the last West Indian wicket… But it was just that there was a bit of desperation in us. They batted for a bit longer than what was expected. There was no pressure on us. Still, it would have been better if we had got them out early. However, no regrets.

The quick wicket and the fast outfield in Kensingston Oval…

Before you know, the game can slip away from you in half a session… A team can really add up a lot of score. When you have a wicket like this, you are going to have lots of catching fielders. And the bowlers, too, will have the pressure of avoiding bad deliveries. Moreover, the average run-rate is slightly up when you play on wickets like these, where the pace is quick and the ball comes on. It might be a different wicket, but you cannot predict anything about them.

The pacers’ role

The pacers’ role will be important… But adapting to the conditions is the key. It’s believed that compared to other pitches here, the one that will be used in this match has more bounce.

So you have to bowl a fuller length if you want to get a batsman out, especially if you want to get him leg before or bowled. The length will be crucial and the bowlers who adapt quicker, will get more wickets compared to the others.

On who performs the role of being the bowling captain in Zaheer Khan’s absence

It’s an added responsibility for me... Ishant has played a lot of Test matches and he’s got ideas as to what to he needs to do when it comes to different batsmen. He is one of our main bowlers who is trying to put pressure on the opposition. Along with Praveen, it’s an ideal combination… Because one is swinging the ball and the other is a back-of-the-length bowler. Zak and Praveen, as you know, bowl the same length. So they are complementing each other and hope they continue to do well in this match.

If it will be difficult to drop any of the four bowlers who played in the first Test

It will become slightly easy if the wicket demands three seamers to be played… We will see the wicket and decide.

More often than not, the pitch does favour the seamers a bit more compared to spinners. In that case, it will become slightly easier to pick the bowling department.

The team combination…

That we will decide Tuesday morning… We’ll see how the wicket is before the start of the game… To be honest, 3-1 doesn’t look like a bad option.

On Harbhajan Singh nearing the 400-wicket milestone in Tests

Well I think there are a couple of milestones for him... He is closing in on 100 Test matches as well! He has been the pick of our bowlers.

He leads the spin department and is doing really well. And you can expect a lot of character from him not only in bowling, but also in the lower-order batting. He is a very good character to have... An aggressive character. Whenever you need a breakthrough or need someone to be aggressive on the field, you will always find Harbhajan very eager to go after the opposition.

He himself closing in on 3000 Test runs

I had no clue about that… Hopefully, I will get the 59 runs needed for that. In cricket, you never know how much you will score.

If milestones are significant to him

I am fortunate to have a good team… Irrespective of whether I am leading the Indian team or in the IPL or in the Champions League.

It is important that how the 15 you are leading respond to your strategy and how they adapt themselves to the kind of strategies that a captain has got.

That way, I have been very fortunate to have players who have given more than 100 per cent on the field. It is not always about winning… What is important is to get the basics right.

Whether his young side’s character is a positive for the team

Of course, it’s a huge positive. The way the guys conducted themselves on and off the field was a big positive for us. And I think they are learning a lot out of these games. At the end of the day, it’s a big plus for Indian cricket.