Dhoni does not want Tendulkar milestone to be distraction

NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – The anticipation of Sachin  Tendulkar’s 100th international century is the expected  highlight of the team’s three-test series against West Indies  but India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is not willing to let it  become a distraction.
Tendulkar has been stuck on 99 tons (51 in tests and 48 in  one dayers) since the 50-over World Cup earlier this year and  fans expect him to reach the milestone on home soil against a  West Indies attack not without its limitations.
“We will let him get the century and then we will speak  about it. Hopefully he gets it in this (the first) game and we  will speak about it on the fifth day,” Dhoni told reporters  after Saturday’s practice session at the Feroz Shah Kotla  Stadium.
“It’s a milestone Sachin will achieve, whether in this game,  the next game or some other game. It’s bound to happen.
“So rather than discussing too much ahead of the milestone  coming in, what we are doing is we said ‘okay, let him get the  ton and then we’ll talk about it’. We are thinking about how we  need to prepare for the series.
“Of course one he gets his ton, we all will celebrate with  him. It will be a big moment for Indian cricket.”
Dhoni’s seriousness stems from his determination to guide  India back to the top of test rankings after England dethroned  them with a 4-0 whitewash in August.
“We want to be the best in the world but it’s not something  that belongs to you. You have to maintain it, you have to keep  doing well.
“We did not do too well in England and that’s why we are not  the number one team right now. Again it becomes a process and to  reach to the top of the world, you have to follow the process.
“It’s the start of another process for us and hopefully we  will be focussed enough to do well, get there again and try to  sustain it.”
With pace spearhead Zaheer Khan recovering from ankle  surgery and senior spinner Harbhajan Singh dropped, India will  have to rely on a relatively inexperienced attack to get those  20 wickets in each match.
Dhoni said at least two players, most likely off-spinner  Ravichandran Ashwin and either Umesh Yadav or fellow pace bowler  Varun Aaron, will make their test debuts on Sunday.
And the team would make sure they did not get too excited,  Dhoni said.
“It is not a difficult thing because if you see the bowlers  who have been selected, most of them have played the ODI format  which means they have fair amount of exposure when it comes to  international cricket.
“So I don’t think they will really get excited.
“Of course, if we see something happening there are senior  players who will come to their rescue and help them out.”