Picking MI's playing XI is the hardest job: John Wright

"We have so many talented players like Glen Maxwell, Yuzvendra Chahal, Nathan Nile, Dwayne Smith and even an experienced Munaf Patel could not be included in the scheme of things. It is important that everybody is happy," Wright said yesterday. MI will take on the Rahul Dravid-led Rajasthan Royals here today.

MI coach John Wright and skipper Ricky Ponting in Mumbai recently

Asked about the failure of the Sachin Tendulkar-Ricky Ponting combo atop the order, the New Zealander was quick to defend the duo. "Sachin has played a good knock, but unfortunately he was run out twice. It is too early to say that they have not done well. Here too, we are seen as favourites, but the Royals are a good side and they have played hard and good cricket. It is going to be a tough game," he said.

On the strategy front, Wright said they are taking one game at a time: "We are looking at one game at a time and have prepared well. We will have to adapt to conditions and the wicket. We started on a happy note and also suffered a loss. But we have dominated the previous two games. The performance by a couple of players is enough to win any game in this format. There are few match-winners. The major attraction of this format is the unpredictability. The game changes quickly and people love it," he added. Wright, however, refused to comment on what is in store when Harbhajan Singh and Sreesanth face off here.

"Every game is competitive and people like an edge. We have a history with every team and personal matters. You have to be patient and the question is how they play within the rules. Aggression has become part and parcel of the game. Everyone wants to win now and such kind of behaviour is expected with hard competitive games," he said.u00a0