India's limited-overs captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Monday stood firmly behind Test skipper Virat Kohli stating that "all hell only breaks loose when wickets offer turn" and the ones on which batsmen are hit on their head are considered "good tracks".
Kohli and the team management were taken apart by the detractors for playing on rank turners against South Africa in the home series last year and Dhoni was asked a question in that context about the WACA strip that will have bounce.
"Agar aap dekhein toh, hahakar tabhi machti hai jab wicket ghoom raha hota hai. Kisi ke sar pe maar do toh usko accha wicket maana jaata hai. (You will find that all hell breaks loose only when there is turn on offer from the track. If the batsman gets hit on the head (on bouncy tracks) then it is considered to be a good wicket)," the sarcasm in his voice wasnot lost on anyone as some former Aussie legends had also criticised the Nagpur track which gave a two-and-a-half-day finish in India's favour against the Proteas.
Not one to get swayed by emotions, Dhoni put talks about this being a grudge series against Aussies, who beat India in the World Cup semifinal last year, to rest by stating that strong words like "revenge" or "hate" should not exist in cricket.
"When it comes to sport and especially cricket, I don't think revenge is a word that should be used or for that matter hate. On one hand you say it is a gentleman's game, so it becomes conflicting.
"You want to compete and win games as you are representing your country but you also want to follow the guidelines in terms of 'Spirit of the Game'. It starts with basics. I don't consider it as revenge but we would like to do well and get a lot out of this series."