Bret Michaels might be ready to rock in weeks

We cannot take Afghanistan lightly: Dhoni

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Thursday warned his team-mates against taking unheralded Afghanistan lightly in their Twenty20 World Cup opening match on Saturday, saying any slip-up against them can put his side out of contention for super eights.

"If you ask me, I would not consider our opening match against Afghanistan as a practice game. I don't take my opponents lightly. At the end of the day you have to win whichever team you play," said Dhoni, ruling out complacency in the Indian camp.

"I don't know much about them. It is good in a way because if we know too much about a side then you are thinking too much about them. However, our preparation will remain the same as if you are playing the best opponent in world cricket," he said.

"We can't really relax against whichever team you are playing. At the end of the day you are representing India and you have to be at your best when you turn up on the field," Dhoni added.

Afghanistan have risen from the depths of the fifth division league to rub shoulders with the best in the cricket world. Their attitude, confidence and determination are aspects that India and South Africa, who have been drawn in Group C along with them, should be wary about.

On the criticism for not playing any warm-up game before the start of the tournament, Dhoni said his side does not need such matches as they have shaped up well.

"We don't actually need to play a warm-up game as the way we have shaped up after the long journey, there wouldn't have been any good coming out of it. It is good that we can rest and have a rigorous practice session tomorrow and get back into the groove and prepare for the match against them," said Dhoni.

India's most successful captain was not worried much about the injuries to some of his key players.

"It is part and parcel of cricket that people get injured. But at the end of the day we have replaced them (Sehwag) with the best possible players available.

"We are just hoping that we won't miss them on the field. We are hopeful that people who have come as replacements would step up to the occasion and perform," he said.

Delving on Yuvraj Singh's injury-riddled form, Dhoni said, "He bats at number four and the individual he is, he can easily play the big shots. There aren't enough grounds in the world that are big enough for him not to clear."

"These big hitters have a big impact on the game. Somebody like Kieron Pollard or (Andrew) Symonds are the kind of players who can take the game away from the opponents in three or four overs. It is a big stage for him (Yuvraj) and, as we have seen of him, he loves challenges.

"His utility as a bowler also comes into play. He did well against some of the best teams in the IPL. So it is good that you have more part timers in the bowling department as it gives us more options than just playing five bowlers," he added.

DEEPIKA PADUKONE ON THE COVER OF THE VOGUE INDIA MAY 2010 ISSUE

Now Kites Releases in Spanish

Confirming this development Sanjeev Lamba, CEO of Reliance Big Picture, said, "Yes, we are indeed on the verge of closing a deal for a Spanish version of Kites. While the Hindi and English versions would cater to a mass audience across the globe keen on seeing Hrithik Roshan, we must not disregard Barbara Mori's fan following in the Spanish belt."

While the Hindi version of Anurag Basu's film will be released on May 21 and the English version a week later, the Spanish version will come little later.

"The only difference between the Hindi and English versions would be the length. Brett Ratner, who has edited the English version, took out all the songs and some of scenes which were seen too Indian in spirit. Otherwise both versions are the same in spirit. Our western audiences don't have the patience to sit through lengthy foreign films. The English version is super fast and snappy," said Lamba.

The length of the Spanish version is expected to be the same as the English one. According to Lamba, the global interest in watching Hrithik romance Barbara Mori puts Kites in a very different league from other Bollywood films.

Reliance Big Pictures is now looking at releasing a larger number of prints globally than even 3 Idiots, which had opened with 1,700 prints in India. Kites is expected to top that figure with approximately 1,750 prints in India.

"We will release around 2,300 prints across the world. There will be 250 prints in the US and 100 in the UK," said Lamba.

The producers are looking at Kites as the Indian film that would finally crack the Western market.

Kites is not what the Bollywood formula is perceived to be in the West. The language of love is universal. We're hopeful that this film will get a new profile of western audiences interested in Indian cinema," said Lamba with fingers crossed.

Barbara is expected to play Hrithik's host in Mexico when the Spanish version of Kites releases there. In a manifestation of a cultural exchange programme, she has even offered to do a Spanish film with Hrithik.