On the eve of the series opener at the quaint Harare Sports Club in Zimbabwe's capital, Makhaya Ntini stirred the pot. The former South African, a feisty fast bowler in his prime and the current interim coach of the Zimbabwe team, claimed that his dwindling team, which currently sits below Afghanistan at 11th in ODI rankings, will put a second-string Indian team "under the carpet" and give the opposition a reason to bring stronger squads henceforth.

Sanjay Bangar, another former cricketer and current coach, but of a gentle demeanour, expectedly steered clear of a rebuttal and maintained that India's "focus is inwards".

"We believe in (letting) our performance speak. We have a talented bunch of young players. They've done really well in the domestic championships and India A circuit. So our focus is inwards. We do not want to give too much attention to what the opposition is saying," Bangar said on Friday (June 10).

Ntini's angst comes against India's decision to send a squad full of rookies and non-regulars but Bangar reassured that the tyros will be eager to prove that they belong to the biggest stage.

"It's an international game and all of us believe that all the international games should be played with the same sort of intensity and purpose and that's what the younger players are looking at. Our focus is basically inwards and we want to play as well as we can. Let's see how far we go.

"It's a great platform for the younger guys. It has provided a launch pad for a number of cricketers. Virat [Kohli] came here and led India for the first time, Suresh [Raina] came in and then Ajinkya [Rahane]. We believe it's a very, very important tour for the younger lot. It provides us an opportunity to look at the future stars emerging from Indian scene for years to come."

To add to the opportunity of representing the country at the highest level, the chance to do so under Mahendra Singh Dhoni will keep the relatively-inexperienced squad on their toes. Bangar revealed that the captain too is upbeat about the endeavour of leading such a young bunch.

"Yes, he (Dhoni) is very excited to be part of a young bunch of players. It's been after a long time that he is getting an opportunity to play with young players and pass on his experience. After his retirement from Test cricket, he is very, very keen to play in all the one-day games and it augurs well for Indian cricket," Bangar said.