We will be difficult to beat: Shastri

Dhaka, May 10 (UNI) Following India's hard fought victory in the opening tie against Bangladesh, Team India manager Ravi Shastri today warned the tigers that India will be unstoppable in the series.

Talking to the media for the first time on the tour, Shastri said, ''At one point I was also nervous about the outcome, but the boys showed tremendous character and fighting spirit.'' ''It will be difficult to defeat us now. Bangladesh better beware,'' he said.

Regarding Dhoni he said, it was a team decision to promote Dhoni up the order.

''The ball was coming on to the bat and Dhoni is a strokeplayer who can change gears fast. That was the idea,'' Shastri said.

But that should not mean that he would come up the order always, he pointed out.

Being on his first tour as Indian team manager, for shastri, it is also an acid test of his cricket knowledge.

''Very few expected us to win today. But that we have done it, we are on a high,'' the former player said.

''They are a great bunch, the camaraderie is excellent and what you really need is a couple of wins like this to get the guys back on track and play cricket they should. They are young players and to show that kind of maturity it augurs well. The way they played you got to give them credit. I thought they were outstanding in trying circumstances because he (Dhoni) had kept for 47 overs and then had to come out and bat and had cramps. But the good thing was he didn't give it away, Shastri said.

''They will play hard cricket. They played hard cricket today and they really had to dig into their reserves to win and that will stand them in good stead. I think Bangladesh will have to play better cricket now if they want to beat India,'' he added.

''I was very satisfied. It was a fighting performance. When you are watching a cricket match, and a side is 140 for 5 and another 100 plus to get in trying conditions and when you get that without losing a wicket, not only is that entertainment, it shows all the qualities a sportsperson should have to reach the top level. There was concentration, there was discipline, there was fighting spirit and above all there was tremendous self-belief,'' Shastri said.

He informed that no replacement would be sought for Manoj Tewari, who is going back with a shoulder injury, that rules him out of the tour.

''No replacement is sought. We would have the Test team coming over a day before the last ODI. If necessary we will use any one of them,'' he said.

Talking about Dhoni he again said, ''Dhoni is a specialist and he can bat at any number. If the conditions are like that and if he (Dhoni) is feeling the heat then it's a great bonus to have two wicketkeepers. One can keep for 40 overs and the one for the next overs or someone for 30 overs, it is allowed.'' Shastri, however, admitted that there were grey areas, ''There is work to be done in a couple of areas, but I would rather take a win in this fashion. It was a tough game and I am really proud of the way the guys responded.'' ''But to win in that fashion, an emphatic fashion in the end, 100-run partnership at run a ball under pressure I would rather look at the positives than dwell on the negatives,'' he quickly added.

UNI