Dhoni impressed with Badri, bowlers

Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was all praise for Subramaniam Badrinath for his superb unbeaten 52 which set up his side's victory over Central Districts in Champions League Twenty20 match in Durban on Saturday.

"We lost early wickets and that put us under pressure. But Badrinath and Anirudha batted really well. These are the conditions where technique does matter. If those who have good technique perform up the order it is easier for those who have lesser technique to slog later," Dhoni said.

"Badri has a good technique and so good to see him perform," said Dhoni after CSK's 57-run win over Central Districts.

Dhoni also have words of praise for the bowlers. "All the bowlers bowled well. Balaji bowled well to pick up three wickets. The two spinners were superb as conditions here were not that well assisting them," he said.

"Muttiah Muralitharan is a great bowler and it is great to have him in the team. He just varied his deliveries and the same was in case of R Ashwin also," he added.

He said CSK will have to win two more matches out of remaining three to make sure they qualify for the semi-finals.

"Well of course it is really good to start such a tournament with a big win. It is important to get momentum when you start off with a win. We want to win all the remaining three matches but at least we have to win two," he added.

Central Districts captain Jamie How rued his side's batting failure.

"To restrict Chennai to 150, I thought the boys bowled really well. The bowling and fielding were the positives, but we didn't really turn up with the bat. We will be looking to bounce back against Victoria," How said.

Man-of-the-Match Badrinath, whose counterattacking 52 from 42 balls was mainly responsible for taking CSK to 151 for four after being 48 for three at halfway mark, was happy that he could come out good in difficult condition.

"I am really happy with the innings. To be able to see the team through to the end. It wasn't easy to start off with, but once I got in I made sure I made it count. Totally different conditions to what we get in India, so really happy that I could do well here," he said.