I told boys to prove that we were world champions: Dhoni
Before the start of the match against England in the finals of the ICC Champions Trophy, team India captian Mahendra Singh Dhoni said that he had asked his team to prove that they were world champions.
June 24, 2013 / 12:58 IST
With just 129 runs to play with in the rain-curtailed final of the ICC Champions Trophy against England here, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni spurred his teammates by telling them to play like world champions and defend a sub-par score.
"Before going in I said, let's first of all get rid of the feeling that it's a 50-over game. It's a 20-over game, and we have seen in IPL and in T20 formats, 130 runs can be a difficult target to achieve," Dhoni said.Also read: India annex Champions Trophy beating England in a thriller
"I told them not to look at the sky or the opposition. I told them that God helps those who help themselves. I said God is not coming to save us. If you want to win this trophy, we'll have to fight it out," he said while addressing the media in the post-match press conference here last night.
"We are the number-one ranked ODI side, so let's make sure that they have to fight for these 130-odd runs. Don't look for any outside help."
India defended a modest score of 129 to outwit England by five runs in thrilling final of the ICC Champions Trophy at Edgbaston in a rain-hit match that was ultimately decided by a T20 game.
"It is unfair to call it the final of the Champions Trophy. When the final of a 50-over game is decided by a T20 game, then some shine is lost but this win means a lot. We played against the best teams in the world and to beat England in England is always good," Dhoni said. Dhoni singled out praise for Man-of-the-Match Ravindra Jadeja and highest scorer of the tournament, Shikhar Dhawan. "Jadeja is someone who keeps it very simple. He bowls a good line and lets the ball do the talking. The good part was he contributed with the bat, which I feel is very important because he's someone who will have to bat at number seven," the Indian captain said.
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