Indian captain M.S. Dhoni was candid when he said, “We were never a brilliant fielding side. But we were holding on to our catches. Even that did not happen in the last game. This will not do, particularly in Twenty20 cricket.”He remained hopeful though. “New fielding coach Michael Young is doing a few different things. He is also different in his methods. Let's see how it works out.”Dhoni said India's start-stop-start routine in Twenty20 cricket was impacting its performances in this format. “We are not playing Twenty20 regularly. In Nagpur, we were playing a Twenty20 game after a long time. We are thus finding it difficult to get into the flow of things. We have been seeking rhythm in Twenty20 cricket.”Dhoni felt the toss would not be critical in the shortest form of the game. “There will be some dew on the pitch and assistance for the bowlers. But I do not think, batting first or chasing makes a big difference in Twenty20. The match is limited to 40 overs.”The Indian skipper said Harbhajan Singh, rested for the series, was India's best spinner.
Have to bat better
Dhoni was, however, unwilling to blame his rather inexperienced attack for the loss in Nagpur. “Twenty20 is a batsman's format. We cannot be too critical of the bowlers. We need to bat better,” he said.Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkarra said confidence was the key to success, not momentum. “Our cricketers are mentally and physically tough. We have worked hard and are enjoying our cricket in the Twenty20 series,” he added. Familiar with the pitch in Mohali — he turns out for Kings XI Punjab in the IPL — Sangakkara hoped there would be more bounce in the surface here than from the wicket in Nagpur. “The pitch for the first game, encouraged the spinners,” he said.
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Despite a convincing victory for the Sri Lankans in the first game, Sangakkara was not complacent about Saturday's game. “It is a different match and we will discuss what our strategy would be. I do not want to talk about the Indian team. We will be focussed on the cricket we play.”On old soldier Sanath Jayasuriya's influence in the first match, Sangakkara said, “He continues to be brilliant.”