If a captain’s countenance is any measure of his satisfaction with the result, then M.S. Dhoni was simply delighted with Sunday’s victory over South Africa. “Having back-to-back wins and especially the kind of wins that we have had in the last two games (is satisfying),” he said.
“Getting 300 runs was fantastic. It was definitely a par plus score on this wicket, and when we turned up with the ball, I think we bowled in the right areas and we made it tough for the opposition to score.”
Pat for DhawanDhoni was pleased with Dhawan’s return to form. “He batted really well. He was putting in an effort in the net sessions. A lot of times people talk about form, but form is just a matter of 15-20 minutes, and maybe it was something that he spent in the last game.
“When the big shots were there to play, he did play them. And he was also rotating the strike.
“He made sure that once he got his hundred he was still there at the crease so it was easier for the other batsmen,” Dhoni said.
The fielding was another aspect that drew praise from Dhoni, who was pleased that fast bowlers in Umesh Yadav and Mohit Sharma had had a hand in run-outs.
“If we score 280 runs, which is a par score, we know with our fielding that we can actually add another 15 runs.
“There may be one fielder or two slightly slower than the others, but by no means are we bad fielders. We have got fast bowlers who are above average fielders. I don’t always have to think about which player needs to go where,” he said.
The crowd was a factor in the triumph, Dhoni felt. “The attendance was close to 86,000 or 87,000. Let’s give the benefit of the doubt, 20,000 to the South African fans, but to get over 50,000 people in Australia just adds to the atmosphere that gets created,” the Indian skipper said.
“It starts from the warm-up, and after the national anthem, it just multiplies.
“Even when we are playing in India, some of the stadiums don’t have this kind of capacity. Even when they are full they’re close to 40,000.”
