India have no weaknesses, asserts Kirsten

Dhaka: Pakistan may be determined to avenge the 140-run league-stage mauling, but India coach Gary Kirsten says his unbeaten team is not too concerned as it hardly has any shortcomings to deal with ahead of the one-day tri-series final against the traditional arch-rivals here Saturday.

Kirsten, however, expected Pakistan to put up a better show than the meek surrender of the league match. "It's always a great clash and we know it's not going to be the same as it was the other night. It's going to be a different Pakistan team out there," he said in the pre-match press conference.

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"They are going to be motivated and determined and we know they can play good cricket. We like to try and stay away from worrying about the opposition too much apart from expecting them to play at their best," he added.

Kirsten said the match did not require any out of the box strategy and his players only have to play their natural game to come out trumps. "We feel if we can execute our plans the way we want to, we are going to be difficult to beat," Kirsten said.

"There are no weaknesses or issues. The team is playing well and everyone is feeling good and looking forward to the final," he added.

Kirsten said toss will not be a factor as the pitch seems batting friendly. "The pitch is good. I don't think the toss is going to be that important. It's holding up for both innings. It's good for batting," he said.

"It is important but we're not expecting things. It might happen like where we don't get that partnership. It will obviously be nice to have it because they score at a good rate and it sets our total up and our innings up.’’

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"We've also got to be willing to know that the nature of the game, we might lose a wicket early on but we've got quality batsmen who can apply themselves in that situation," he added.

Kirsten, however, admitted that fitness levels of the players needed improvement. "It's certainly an area that we're working very hard on. It's nice to have a lot of youth because there's energy and enthusiasm which is great.’’

"They are very keen to prepare well physically. We're placing a lot of emphasis on that. We're still a long way from where we want to be but we're heading in the right direction," he said.