Hobart, Feb 28 (IANS) Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said Tuesday he was confident his team had the firepower and to chase down the imposing target set by Sri Lanka in the 11th ODI of the Commonwealth Bank Series.
India needed to score 321 runs in 41 overs for a bonus point and did so with ridiculous ease getting it in 36.4 overs after Virat Kohli scored a career-best 133 not out. India now have to hope that Australia beat Sri Lanka in Friday’s last pool match in Melbourne to qualify for the three-match final.
India and Sri Lanka are both tied on 15 points but by the virtue of beating the Lankans twice in the tournament, the Indians will qualify for the finals.
“We knew we had the firepower, but still 320 was more than we could digest. But once we got that start, we knew we could kick on. We will now going shopping for a couple of days and some practice at the same time. Its not in our hands now,” said Dhoni.
Dhoni praised the team for playing excellent cricket and said that this was one of the best matches he had been part of.
“This was some of the best ODI cricket I have been a part of. When you need 321 off 40, you need a good start. You need the quantity. We wanted to keep them down to 250, maximum 270,” he said.
A helpless Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene commended the Indian team and Kohli.
“You can’t do much when they bat like that.. Virat played out of his skin on a true pitch. It was the first off day for our bowlers in the tournament, so fair enough. It wasn’t just Kohli, it was also the way the others batted around him,” said Jayawardene.
Jayawardene hoped that his team would bounce back from the humiliating loss and beat the Australians in the final game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
“Our qualification is still in our hands, which is great. Hope we come back from this and win in Melbourne,” he said.
