Bangalore, Sept. 29 : Australia’s stand-in captain Adam Gilchrist has said that injury-hit team is ready to salvage its pride and prove their status as world champions in the first One-day international against India.

"We have got very good squad which we are relying on. We've made six changes for our first one-day international since the World Cup final," Gilchrist said.

Gilchrist said that his men would be fired up following the comments made by some of the Indian players during their Twenty20 clash.

"Over the years we've shown that we have great depth. We'll be able to put out a team that will be able to win the game, provided we play not on emotions but on skills. And I think our skill level is par with any team in the world," Gilchrist added.

Australia, who has not played a 50-over match since winning the World Cup in the Caribbean, will face Twenty20 World Champions India today in the first of the seven match series.

Gilchrist will lead the team today as regular skipper Ricky Ponting recovers from a hamstring injury.

Ponting is expected to return later in the series but injuries will provide newcomers the opportunity to help avenge their Twenty20 semi-final loss to India.

Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, on the other hand, told India to forget their Twenty20 World Cup triumph and refocus for the seven-match one-day series against Australia.

"I think it is of the past that we have won World Cup. We have to start with a fresh series. We are looking for some tough series ahead," said Dhoni.

Dhoni is confident that the return of batting stalwarts Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly would ease the pressure on him after steering a young side to Twenty20 glory in South Africa.

"It's a big advantage to have the three players, wherever you turn you can look for help," Dhoni said.

Dhoni called for a balance between experience and youth, dismissing frenzied debate on whether members of the Twenty20 squad should be chosen to play ahead of the 34-year-old trio Tendulkar, Dravid and Ganguly.

Nine Twenty20 squad members are in the team for the first three games of the series, including left-arm pacer Irfan Pathan and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh who were dropped after the World Cup. (With inputs from ANI)