Perfect Cup record aganist Pakistan doesn't comfort Dhoni

JOHANNESBURG: India may have never lost to their arch-rivals in any World Cup match but Mahendra Singh Dhoni refuses to be complacent ahead of the summit clash of the Twenty20 cricket World Cup against Pakistan here on Monday.
    
The Indian captain said any match against Pakistan is always special where past performance counts for little.
    
"India versus Pakistan is always special. And this is a World Cup final, so this ought to be special too," said Dhoni.
    
"As far as history is concerned, it has got nothing to do with cricket. There's always a first time. So if we start believing that just because we have never lost to Pakistan in a World Cup we are going to sail through, that is not going to happen," he said.
    
"We have to go out and play well. We know it's another do-or-die game and we got to give our best. We got to keep it simple and do the basics right."
    
Dhoni also asserted that his team would not put itself under unnecessary pressure.
    
"It will be a tough game so we can't take too much pressure. Thinking about it as a big stage, and a World Cup final or else it will affect our performance."
    
Asked if he had ever dreamt of leading the team to a World Cup title, Dhoni said, "I don't dream too much" and stressed on he importance of living in the present.
    
"I don't worry too much about the past or about the future. The problem with common man is that he is either living in the past or worried about the future. I believe in living in the present and deal with things on hand
    
Explaining the reasons for his team's stupendous success, Dhoni said, "No one gave us a chance when we came here for this tournament while Pakistan were rated highly because they have been playing Twenty20 for over an year and it's quite popular in their country.
    
"They know the pressures and the nuances of the game. But the way my team has adapted to the format and to the conditions and shown responsibility needs to be appreciated."
    
He also sought to play down the hysteria which generally surrounds an India-Pakistan tie.
    
"India vs Pakistan has been a healthy competition. There was a lot of hype around it few years back when we didn't play each other too often. But that has changed in recent years. We have played more than 15 one-dayers. So the players are getting used to it and it's helping both teams."
    
He also felt that more than personal reputations, the outcome would be determined by how a particular team fares on a given day.
    
"Reputations do not matter. It depends how a batsman or a bowler performs on a given day. In this format, the first five overs are important but the last eight overs they always have a huge impact on the game."
    
"We got the best start against New Zealand (76-0) but we still lost the game. You have to keep wickets in hand. If you do that you can get any target anything from 80 runs to 100 runs."
    
Given the fact that Dhoni's young side has been pretty aggressive, and animated too in the field, he threw some more light on why it has been so.
    
"I want my team to express their emotions and play their cricket the hard way. If somebody wants a verbal war we are ready for it. But to do that you don't need to have talent."
    
But at the same time, Dhoni said that no one needed to cross the line and S Sreesanth was a shining example of what exactly one should not be doing in the heat of the moment.
    
"As a skipper I have to take responsibility for Sreesanth," said Dhoni about his pacer who has been fined for excessive appealing.
    
"He has to understand that it's international cricket and you got to play by the rules. He a good cricketer and he's got the skills to perform well at the highest level. Getting banned for 4-5 games won't help him or the team. So either he learns it the soft way or the hard way is up to him. But he will learn."
    
About Yuvraj Singh's magical form, Dhoni said, "Yuvi is in real good form. His determination, the will to do well stand out. He is the main batsman in the side and has the experience and the responsibility to carry the team. And he has done that really well."
    
To a question on how he remains cool in pressure-cooker situation, Dhoni said, "Captaincy isn't all that matters, how the team responds is more important. The players make a captain good or bad by their collective performances."
    
He also underlined that the way fans reacted every time India lose was something uncalled for and needed to be corrected.
    
"It has always been tough for the Indian team. Previously there would be a huge fan following for cricket. Now it has become an obsession. People don't accept defeat. They don't understand that you have good days and bad days."