India in South Africa: MS Dhoni will boost India's chances in ODIs, says Shreyas Iyer

File photo of Indian batsman Shreyas Iyer

Kolkata: Battered and bruised after their Test series defeat, India will bounce back strongly in the ODI series in South Africa, top-order batsman Shreyas Iyer said here on Wednesday.

Indian batsmen surrendered meekly losing the first two Tests in the ongoing series and will play the third Test from January 24, before locking horns in a three-match ODI series beginning February 1.

"We have not won the Test series, so we'll look to bounce back," Iyer said here on Monday.

He had no doubt that the former skipper MS Dhoni's presence will also bolster the side during the limited-overs leg of India's ongoing tour.

"MS is coming back. He has led the Indian team previously. He's a great finisher. We will look to win the ODI series. That would be our only target," Iyer added. 

Having recovered from a hamstring injury, Iyer will join the team for the ODI series as he showed signs of full fitness with a sterling 79 not out to lead Mumbai to 198/4 before going down to Punjab by three wickets in their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 fixture here.

"Prior to South Africa tour, getting a knock like this is important. It will give me a lot of confidence. I will see to it if I can carry the same form in South Africa," he said.

Iyer hinted that he has done his homework for the seaming and bouncy conditions in South Africa.

"Since I was injured after the Sri Lanka tour, I was watching the matches. They have bouncy and seaming pitches. My preparation would be to play the ball on merit and to be on the backfoot more rather than playing on the front foot.

"In India, the ball does not climb as on South African wickets. So I need to stay positive during my innings. After going there, I will set a goal for myself and see to it that I achieve it," he concluded.