India beat Australia 2-0 in the best-of-three finals series

India, who were knocked out in the first round of last year's World Cup, left veteran stars like Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly out of the squad.

"This is a building stage for the team. We brought the youngsters in and left seniors out," said Dhoni.

"We were playing in the toughest conditions against the top two teams in the world."

The way the youngsters played made it one of the best series I've played in Mahendra Dhoni

India lost two of their first three games in the series , which also included Sri Lanka, who lost last April's World Cup final to Australia.

But Dhoni's men battled back to pip Sri Lanka for a place in the best-of-three finals series, going on to beat Australia 2-0.

"It's can't get better than this - beating the top team in the world," said Dhoni after the nine-run win in Brisbane that sealed the series victory.

606: DEBATE I honestly didn't think they could do it - I didn't think these no-name newcomers are adequate replacements DPF

"After the start [of the series] we had the pressure was on us but the way we improved our batting, backed each other and enjoyed others' success was very important.

"The way the youngsters played, with the fielding and running between wickets, made it one of the best series I've played in.

"We did well in every department."