Batsman Robin Uthappa denied reports Sunday of a rift between veteran and junior members of India's cricket team after the chief selector made a pitch for the inclusion of more youngsters.
Dilip Vengsarkar had put the senior players on notice Saturday, saying there were young players on the fringe who were raring to make it onto the team and make their places count.
Uthappa, himself a talented 21-year-old, denied Vengsarkar's comments had caused any problems ahead of the fourth match of the one-day series with Australia, which the home team is trailing 2-0.
"There is absolutely nothing like a senior versus junior thing in the team. It's all in the media. Everyone is enjoying themselves in the dressing room and it's amazing to be part of this team," he told reporters.
Uthappa also said Gautam Gambhir was doubtful for the fourth one-dayer here on Monday after he sustained a groin injury during practice.
Gambhir slipped while batting in the nets and had to be rushed to the hospital for a scan.
Former skipper Sourav Ganguly, who was not part of the team that was drubbed at Kochi and Hyderabad, could take Gambhir's place in the squad.
Ganguly is believed to have recovered from a hamstring injury that he picked up during fielding in the first one-dayer at Bangalore, which was abandoned due to rain.
Uthappa also admitted that the team's intensity had dropped amidst the euphoria over the triumph in the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa last month.
"All of us were a bit knackered up after the Twenty20 victory. It was difficult to shift gears and our intensity level dropped," he said.
Meanwhile, Uthappa said that Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, who was at his belligerent best in the first two one-dayers against Australia before going uncannily quiet in the third match, mellowed down due to criticism of his volatile temper.
"You guys have mellowed him down," Uthappa quipped at the press conference ahead of the fourth ODI here.
"I think a lot has been made of it and he was naturally mellowed down in Hyderabad. In fact, we had to talk to him and key him up," he said.
Sreesanth had altercations with Andrew Symonds and Matthew Hayden in the second ODI at Kochi where he tried to run out Symonds when the ball was dead.
The Kerala speedster then caught the batsman off his own bowling, which was followed by yet another verbal duel.
Sreesanth, however, was not alone to vent his anger in the tie and match referee Chris Broad later called both the captains and told them to rein in their teammates.
Sreesanth, however, looked a complete different bowler who just went about his job in the third match.
Uthappa insisted that the hosts had not overdone things in the series. "Yes, we have been aggressive even though we mellowed down a bit in the third match. But I feel it's hyped up a lot by the media. We know where to draw the line and we respect the rules of the game too," he said.
Australia captain Ricky Ponting, however, has not been amused by India's aggression and felt the hosts misconstrued the notion. "It's not jumping up and down," Ponting wrote in his in an Australian newspaper.
Reacting to Ponting's comments, Uthappa quipped "they are experienced in it while we are just late starters. Give us some time and we'll definitely catch up with them."
TEAMS
India (likely): Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Robin Uthappa, Yuvraj Singh, Rahul Dravid, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt & wk), Irfan Pathan, Murali Kartik, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth.
Australia (likely): Adam Gilchrist (wk), Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke, Andrew Symonds, Brad Hodge, Brad Hogg, Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark.