HOBART: Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Tuesday described his side’s incredible seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the crucial tri-series match as one of the best ODI victories he has been part of.
“This was one of the best ODI cricket I have been a part of. That was fantastic right through the very start of our chase. When you need 321 off 40 overs, you need a good start. You need the quantity, but the quality also. Overall it was a fantastic performance,” said Dhoni after the match.
Dhoni said the top-order comprising Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir provided the right kind of start to his side’s chase.
“First 10 overs, we got the 90-odd runs on the board. It was a great start and we just need to carry on the momentum. Sachin, Sehwag gave us the good start and then Gambhir chipped in with useful contribution,” he said.
Dhoni said that he wanted to keep Sri Lanka down to 270 after winning the toss but failed to do it.
“We wanted to keep them down to 250, maximum 270. We knew we had the firepower, but still 320 was more than we could digest. But once we got that start, we knew we could kick on,” he said.
The Indian skipper added that with their hopes of advancing to the finals of the tri-series hanging on the result of Australia-Sri Lanka match on Friday, they would like to spend a couple of days shopping.
“We are going on a couple of days of shopping, and some practice at the same time. It’s not in our hands now,” he said.
Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene said that one can’t do much when someone like Kohli plays out of his skin on a true pitch.
“You can’t do much when he bats like that. It was the first off day for our bowlers in the tournament, so fair enough. It wasn’t just Kohli, it was also the way the others batted around him,” he said.
Jayawardene sounded optimistic about qualifying for the tri-series final.
“Our qualification is still in our hands, which is great. Hope, we come back from this and win in Melbourne.” (PTI)