Mahendra Singh Dhoni during a media conference, in Ahmedabad, on Wednesday. Picture by Santosh Ghosh

Ahmedabad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni is hoping that the intensity associated with an India-Australia clash will help his players give their best. At a media conference, the Indian captain also hoped to make better use of the batting Powerplay.

The following are excerpts

Thoughts on the match…

It’s our first knockout game. It’s an important game for us but I won’t give it the tag of mini-final as Tim Nielsen would believe. It is a game where you have to win irrespective of what opposition you are playing…

Playing against Australia

In the last 2-3 years we have seen that the India-Australia bilateral series is among the most viewed, which means that the players are more intense on the field and want to give their best. That’s a big positive because you want your key players to perform and being intense also helps you do that.

On batting collapses in previous matches

In all the games we were in a position where we wanted to accelerate and get as many runs as possible. That was one of the main reasons why we lost a number of wickets... Of course, you need to accelerate but once you have lost those 2-3 wickets, you need to curb your instincts and look to bat 50 overs.

Pressure on batsmen

When you are part of the Indian cricket team, irrespective of whether you are a batsman or a bowler, you are under pressure. More than the batsmen, it’s the bowlers who are under pressure.

Virender Sehwag’s fitness…

We are taking a call later... It’s really good to have Sehwag opening the innings for you... He’s the kind of batsman who can make the most of slightly short-pitched deliveries. He can play an aggressive game; he can change the course of the game in the first five overs and give your team the kind of momentum that is needed.

On his batting

The top-order has batted really well and it means that the lower-order is getting to bat when they are looking to accelerate. According to that, I am quite satisfied with the effort. But we have not really capitalised on the slog overs or the second Powerplay. So hopefully in the coming games we can accumulate more runs.

Countering short-pitched bowling…

They (Australia) have definitely got good fast bowlers. But don’t forget we have won a Test match in Perth, and the last time we won in Durban. People have been talking about short-pitched deliveries a lot. No one likes facing them... It’s nothing new to us. So I don’t think it’s a new strategy. We’ll play the Indian way…play normal cricket.

Sachin Tendulkar one short of another milestone

The same hype was generated when he was approaching his 50 th Test century… Please let him be at his best and let him score runs...

The mental factor

The mental element will be very important but at the same time you have to rely on skill. Ultimately it has to reflect on the field and it’s the skill that really helps you give your best on the field. But, of course, mentally you have to be in a very good frame of mind to execute your plans.

On Zaheer Khan’s bowling

Yes we have relied a lot on him to get us those breakthroughs and he has always responded well. We have been able to capitalise on the breakthroughs that we have got. That’s a big positive for us.

Gary Kirsten’s contribution…

The way he has managed the Indian dressing room… The 15 members who are part of the squad are superstars and all of them have a big fan following in India. The way he has managed each and every individual… I think he has done a fantastic job. I think he is a fantastic gentleman to be associated with.

Last 10 encounters

• Sydney (March 2, 2008) —
Aus 239/8. India 242/4.
India won by 6 wkts
• Brisbane(March 4, 2008) —
India 258/9. Aus 249.
India won by 9 runs
• Centurion (September 28, 2009) — Aus 234/4.
No result.
• Vadodara (October 25, 2009) — Aus 292/8. India 288/8.
Aus won by 4 runs.
• Nagpur (October 28, 2009) — India 354/7. Aus 255.
India won by 99 runs.
• Delhi (October 31, 2009) — Aus 229/5. India 230/4.
India won by 6 wkts.
• Mohali (November 2, 2009) — Aus 250. India 226.
Aus won by 24 runs
• Hyderabad (November 5, 2009) — Aus 350/4. India 347. Aus won by 3 runs
• Guwahati (November 8, 2009) — India 170. Aus 172/4. Aus won by 6 wkts
• Visakhapatnam (October 20, 2010) — Aus 289/3. India 292/5. India won by 5 wkts

Compiled by Mohandas Menon