Sri Lanka series will help us to test how much we have improved: MS Dhoni

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni reckons the upcoming limited-overs series against Sri Lanka will provide his side an opportunity to see where it stands at the moment and identify the areas that need improvement, says a report in The DNA.

“It’s the start of the season for us,” Dhoni said on Wednesday, soon after the Indian team arrived to play in five ODIs and a lone Twenty20 game against the islanders. “There are certain areas where we’ve wanted to improve, where we’ve had a discussion saying these are the areas where we need to improve upon to consistently do well. This is a nice occasion to test how much we have improved and how much further we can actually improve on the field,” he added.

Meanwhile a report in Hindustan Times says that barring the Indian Premier League, Mahendra Singh Dhoni's India have not been in action since their last international outing in South Africa in March. The hosts, in contrast, beat Pakistan at home in both ODIs and Tests, outplaying the high-riding opponents with a splendid performance.

But India is not Pakistan and is known for greater deeds of consistency at the very high echelons of competitiveness. Dhoni echoed the Indians' familiarity with Sri Lankan conditions saying, "We are no strangers to Sri Lankan conditions. So acclimatisation would not be an issue".

The Indian captain was implying that the two months break the players have had since the IPL would serve them well as the team aims to win the series to begin the new season for them on a happy note.

According to a report in The Times Of India, there's a lot at stake in India's one-day series against Sri Lanka beginning July 21 as Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men have the chance to regain the number one spot if they clean-sweeps the five-match rubber.

India, who are at fourth spot in the Reliance ICC ODI rankings, last held the number one position briefly in September 2009 but if it achieves a clean sweep against Sri Lanka, Dhoni's side will unseat current table-toppers Australia.

The series, which starts in Hambantota on July 21, brings together the finalists in the World Cup 2011, held in Mumbai in April last year. India won that match by six wickets to lift the trophy for the first time in 28 years.