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This article was first published 11 years ago

How 'Captain Cool' Dhoni did it for India

July 12, 2013 10:21 IST

Image: MS Dhoni
Photographs: Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Triumphant Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said he preferred to use a heavy bat in the final over of the Tri-nation ODI series title clash against Sri Lanka as it was "perfect for slogging".

- Scorecard

Dhoni leads India to tri-series title triumph

Dhoni almost singlehandedly guided India to yet another ODI title with an unbeaten 45 off 52 balls, 16 off them coming in the last over in their chase of 202.

"I went with a heavy bat, the weight was perfect for slogging," Man-of-the-Match Dhoni said.

After bowling out Sri Lanka for 201, India rode on Dhoni and Rohit Sharma's half century to chase down the target with two balls to spare at the Queen's Park Oval.

Asked about his penchant for coming good when the chips are down, Dhoni said, "I knew I could get 15 runs off the last over, I'm happy that it worked.”

How 'Captain Cool' Dhoni did it for India

Image: MS Dhoni
Photographs: Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Rohit Sharma said: "I am really happy with the way we performed. The wicket was not easy to play shots, I wanted to delay my shots and wanted to stay as long as possible in the middle. Regarding the Indian captain's knock, the Mumbaikar said,

"We have seen Dhoni doing it over and over again, so it was not so much of a surprise."

Player of the series was Bhuvneshwar Kumar while Sharma was awarded the Most Trusted Player of the Series.

How 'Captain Cool' Dhoni did it for India

Image: Angelo Mathews

Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews also credited 'dangerous Dhoni'.

"Herath bowled really well to bring us back into the game, but Dhoni is always a dangerous batsman. We played a good tournament throughout, didn't win the title, but the players showed a lot of character," Mathews said.

Dhoni and Virat Kohli, who led the team in three matches in Dhoni's absence, jointly accepted the winners' trophy.

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