Champions Trphy 2013: We handled the pressure really well: Dhoni

Birmingham – India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said they handled the pressure really well to win the ICC Champions Trophy by beating England by five runs at Edgbaston here Sunday.

India put up a target of 130 for the hosts to chase, who could only manage 124/8 in their 20 overs, after rains delayed the start of the match, making it a 20-over per side game.

“When we were batting I just said get close to 130. The shower helped us because the ball was gripping later on. It’s important to be positive. I said ‘we are the No.1-ranked team, let’s play like that’,” said Dhoni at the presentation ceremony.

“I knew the two overs of powerplay were crucial. I wanted to make them slog off the spinners. They all handled the pressure really well, in international cricket people talk about technique but it’s the ones that deal with the pressure,” added Dhoni before going on to lift the title.

India had previously, in 2002, jointly won the Champions Trophy with Sri Lanka.