India may be tipped to win the upcoming Asia Cup cricket tournament, but coach John Wright cautioned his wards against taking any of the other teams in the competition lightly, saying even Bangladesh are capable of springing a surprise.
Wright also said it is important to start the new season on a winning note and concentrate on one game at a time.
"The real challenge will be to start well, commencing from the Asia Cup. It is not going to be that easy. The first match is against the UAE. Some people might think that the teams are not on even competition, but it [the match] is important for us since we will be playing Sri Lanka in the next match," Wright told a press conference in Chennai on Tuesday, before the team's departure for the six-nation tournament in Sri Lanka.
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"We will concentrate on one game at a time and our game plans should go well with the performance and, hopefully, the wins will happen. We have played against good opposition in the recent past. The one-day series against Pakistan ended 3-2 in our favour," he said.
The former New Zealand captain said the team had put in a lot of hard work to win the historic series in Pakistan in March-April and predicted that Sri Lanka would be tough opposition on home soil.
"Lot of hard work had gone in for that [Pakistan] series win and Sri Lanka has been tough at home. Bangaldesh can surprise any one of these teams and must have prepared well for this tournament. But the confidence really comes out of performance and that is what we have to stress on. It is a challenge for us.
"The attitude and confidence are pretty high in the minds of my players to win the Cup. There is a lot of difference between the expectations of the six sides for the tournament. We have been to the World Cup, the ICC Champions Trophy and other tournaments and the coming Asia Cup is no different," Wright said.
"My players are feeling that they are capable of winning it. We are starting the season after two useful and valuable camps and the team has been prepared to face high standard opposition. When we go for any tournament, we go with a positive mind," he added.
Asked whether the pressure of playing Pakistan would be less after beating them at home recently, Wright replied: "Both the teams want to win badly. We probably have an edge over Pakistan but that can change very quickly in one-day games. We are looking forward to perform well to win each game and the trophy."
Vice-captain Rahul Dravid said the return of Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan, both back from injury, augurs well for the team, but added that it is important to stay focused and raise standards.
Asked whether it is the strongest Indian team in recent times, he replied: "It is hard to compare the teams. It is unfair to compare a team that played one year or six months back. It is nice to have everyone back and it is nice to have your teammates back. It is not nice to see people miss out due to injuries.
"The important factor is that we need to play to our potential and we will be trying to do so. Only the future will tell whether this team is the strongest," he said.
Dravid said the experience of having played in Sri Lanka before will come handy for the team.
"We have played in Sri Lanka before and we know what the conditions are like. It is important for us to stay focused and motivated and raise our standards to higher levels. We had quite a good season last year. But within this team there is a feeling that we want to take it a step further. The hard task will be to keep improving and perform better."
The Karnataka batsman said the interactions with legends like Geoffrey Boycott, Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev during the camps were very helpful for the players.
"It is always interesting and useful to talk to great players like Gavaskar or Kapil or Boycott or Ian Chappell. It is always nice to be able to talk to past players, who have obviously achieved so much.
"I don't think Boycott came here with the idea of changing anyone's technique in two days. But it was all the more interesting to sit with Boycott and discuss on batting and about his career on an informal basis. Sometimes we learn quite a bit from these. Most of the players in the team appreciate great cricketers, be they Indian or foreign."
Asked whether he had set any personal goals, India's vice-captain said: "Not really. I just have to do well. But I also wish to score a double hundred."
Team manager Dorai Rajan said the team has been assured utmost security in the aftermath of the bomb explosion near a five-star hotel where the players would put up.
"The BCCI has already interacted with both the Sri Lankan cricket Board and their government. There is no cause for any apprehension. We have been assured utmost security for the players."
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