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Intensity was good: Dhoni

Nandakumar Marar

MUMBAI: Chennai Super Kings captain, M S Dhoni, talked about performing as a team all over again, after his team crushed Kings XI Punjab by nine wickets to confirm a final place in the DLF-IPL.

“I have always maintained that you can’t go by what you have done. Every match requires a fresh start. You have to start from scratch. We have to do it again in the next game,” he said.

Asked about the serene expression on his face despite the pressure of competing in a semifinal, he said: If I were to tell you that I don’t feel the pressure, I will be lying. When you want something done from the bowler, it won’t help if he sees a tense captain. Pressure is there, it is important at times to hide it.”

Makhaya Ntini, named man of the match, also referred to the need of concealing tense feelings from opponents. “I am always smiling, that is how I play my game. The pressure is there, I don’t show anything to any batsmen. I let the ball do the talking.”

The South African send back openers Shaun Marsh and James Hopes to rattle Kings XI early on.

Kings XI captain Yuvraj Singh, opting to bat after winning the toss, stuck to his reading about the Wankhede track. “It was a good wicket to bat on. We did not do well under pressure,” he said, complimenting the Chennai bowlers for a commendable job.

Dhoni felt his bowlers were upto the mark, followed by efforts from Parthiv Patel and Suresh Raina to make light of the chase. “The intensity was good, whether bowling or fielding. Though we lost an early wicket, Parthiv and Raina gave us the kind of start that was needed.”

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