People wait with open swords, says Dhoni

INDORE: MS Dhoni praised his bowlers, especially the spinners, for performing well under pressure to provide India with a win at the Holkar stadium. The Indian skipper singled out Axar Patel and Harbhajan Singh, who were playing their first match in the series. "I am happy with the way they bowled and got India early breakthroughs at crucial times," he said. But he also had a word or two for the critics who had written him off. "It is not an easy game that we play, a lot of people wait with open swords and want you to make mistakes and have fun with it," he said after the win. "It was a good game for us. There were a few soft dismissals and we didn't score something which was par on this wicket. We didn't start well with our bowling but our spinners did well and gave us the breakthrough and later the pacers also came into action and gave us those wickets.He also praised the lower order for giving him support when the team was struggling. "When we were five down, I curbed my instinct to go for the big shots. I know that Axar, Bhajji and Bhuvi can hold one end up. I decided to play out the 50 overs and aimed to score anything above 230. No doubt, in curbing my instincts, I missed the opportunity to get to my century. But in the end a victory is more important that a personal milestone."Asked how would resolve the confusion over the batting order regarding Rahane at No. 3 and Kohli at No. 4, he said in lighter vein: "It's simple. When I ask them to bat at No. 3 and No. 4 respectively, they will have to do so. Rahane has being batting at top of the order, he needs to be groomed at that spot. He has been fluent at that number and he will only improve from here on."Dhoni said Kohli was such a class player he could bat any where. "Even if he comes after 20 overs, he has talent enough to score big hundreds. At the moment we are trying out this combination and with me at No. 5 followed by Raina, the lineup looks good.""After I retired from Test cricket my aim was to enjoy my cricket and bat with freedom. But when the situation comes I have to take it up on me to bat the team out of hopeless situations. If after playing so many ODIs I can't do that job then how can I expect the younger players to do so? That's why I have preferred to bat at No.5, which is a crucial position," he said.