India peaking at the right time : Dhoni

Dhoni feels that his team is peaking at the right time.

The real contenders, SA, choked. The World Champions wilted. The mercurial
outsider faltered. The Ashes winners were out. Now the Elephant takes on the
Lion at Mumbai today.

The very fact that India has not played upto their full batting or bowling
potential indicates that India may have preserved their best for Saturday,
when they take on a well balanced Sri Lanka. Both teams are formidable and
it is not a David vs Goliath fight ( Some people say since India is a
cricket powerhouse and Sri Lanka is a small Emerald Isle size-wise, it s a
David vs Goliath fight. But not in cricketing skill. Pundits give 50-50
chance to both. )

"There is plenty more to come from us. We gained momentum as the tournament
went on and we are now peaking at the right time," said Dhoni on Friday, on
the eve of the all-Asian World Cup final.

"India has momentum, after defeating Aus and Pak. The good thing is that we
did not have a long break after the semifinal. We travelled from Mohali on
Thursday, practised on Friday and will play the match on Saturday. It does
not give anyone time to think too far ahead or worry about the future," he
said

No pressure playing before the home crowd, said the whirlwind wicket keeper.
"We are not thinking about Saturday's game as a final, for us every match is
a challenge and just as important. In the end you have to play the same way
and do the right things to succeed.

"Of course we realise this is a World Cup final. It can't get bigger than
this, but our preparations have to be the same. We want to do well in a
tournament like this because it is held in India and we never know when we
would get another opportunity like this."

On high expectations, he said " To give you an example, I was swapping
channels and they showed fans rejoicing outside my home in Ranchi after we
won against Pakistan. It was the same place where a few unwarranted things
happened during 2007. That's what really happens in India and it is better
to be at your best."

SL won in the last match at Mumbai. Dhoni, when asked about the Sri Lankan
victory at Mumbai, said: "We practised two-and-a-half hours in the middle
today, so we are quite familiar with the wicket and know what to expect."

Indian team checked into the iconic Taj Mahal Hotel, where the 26/11
happened. Dhoni said: "It was an emotional moment as to what happened there.
But the hotel staff greeted us warmly. We will certainly remember the day,
but we have to stay calm and composed and focused on our job."

Dhoni said winning the World Cup will not be a personal milestone, as his
team had won the T20WC in 2007 and became the numero uno Test Team in 2009.

"This is a team sport and here you don't think individually. The success of
the Indian team changed after the 1983 World Cup win and since then every
two or three years we had a player, who was special enough. And then came
the new era of players with Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh, who
performed extremely well in the 2003 World Cup and the latest generation of
players came with the 2007 World Twenty20. For captains it is all about the
team and how different individuals respond to different challenges," said
the powerful wicket keeper captain.

Meanwhile, Imran opined that if not for that brilliant spell by Wahab Riaz, India could have gone on to 330. Still Raina at No 7 steered India to 260 !

India, with seven world class batsmen, still hold the edge in this absorbing final. It is true that SL's top three are great performers but then you cannot depend on 2 or 3 batsmen all the time.

The team which handles pressure better will win. India would like to crack the Lankan Code. The Lankan code is the unleashing of Maling, Murali and Herath to choke India. Kulasekhara and Pereira will lend support to the bowling combination.

It will be interesting to note the duel between SL bowlers and India's top seven batsmen ! SL bowlers will try to get Sehwag quick. So will Indian bowlers against Tharanga, Dilshan and Sanga !

But then cricket is a funny game and players whom we have not noted will rise to the occasion and deliver the goods. It need not be Sachin, Sehwag or Yuvraj for India or Tharanga, Dilshan or Sanga for SL. Other players may rise to the occasion and announce their presence in this absorbing final !