London, Dec 10 : English captain Kevin Pietersen has asked his team-mates to ignore all the distraction and give their 100 percent for the Chennai Test despite lack of adequate match practice.

Pietersen's four months as England captain have been rather eventful but neither he nor his squad want the horrific events of last month's attacks in Mumbai, the team's brief return home or the uncertainty over whether they would return to India to act as an excuse in tomorrow's first Test.

Pietersen was keen to talk about cricketing issues rather than the security measures that have been put in place, but when 5,000 police officers, including 300 highly trained commandoes, have been assigned to guard them the topic is difficult to ignore, The Independent reported.

"It may be viewed by many that we are in a no-lose situation but that is a way of negatively looking at the situation and finding excuses," Pietersen said. "I don't want any excuses over what has happened.

"I said to the guys that I want them to approach this match like a Test in England. In my four years with England we have often finished a one-day series against a country and had a week or 10 days off. We have then travelled on a Monday, practised on a Tuesday and Wednesday and played a Test on the Thursday. This is what we are doing here," he said.

"What has happened has happened, we can't control that. But we are international cricketers that are proud to wear the three lions. We are playing two Tests in India and we are in a very privileged position, and we have to deal with it in a professional manner," Pietersen said. (ANI)