press trust of india
Birmingham, 22 June: India have not devised any “special plans” for the ICC Champions Trophy final against hosts England, according to captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni who said his team will just go in with the same approach like they did in the previous matches.
“We don’t have any special plans. We will go with the same approach like we did in the match against Pakistan and the semi-final (versus Sri Lanka),” Dhoni said at the pre-match Press conference today. He said his bowlers have done a good job in the tournament so far but death bowling was a bit of a concern.
“We have exploited the condition well and we have bowled in the right areas, which I feel is very important.
“But still, death bowling is a concern. It’s an area we need to improve as a team,” Dhoni said. India have so far played very good cricket in the Champions Trophy and Dhoni said the first 10 overs,  whether bowling or batting, could determine how the final shaped up.
“So far in this tournament that’s what we have seen.
 If you get off to a very good start, batting or bowling, you are able to put pressure on the middle order and then you can restrict the opposition from scoring freely,” the Indian skipper said.
“Or, when you have wickets in hand while batting first, you can get those extra 20 or 25 runs in the end which could prove crucial.”
 Dhoni admitted that England’s pace attack has the quality to test the best of batsmen, but said India’s top-order was fully prepared to tackle the English bowlers.
“The English are a very good team, especially the bowlers. What we are positive about is the fact that our top-order has done well against some of the best bowlers in world cricket in this tournament,” Dhoni said.
“Our batsmen are well prepared to face the England bowlers. But, like in every game, they have to apply themselves. So we will wait and watch how it goes,” he added.
Dhoni was full of praise for his spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, who according to him are “hunting in pairs” in the ongoing Champions Trophy.
“What’s important is to realise that they are a bowling unit. If one of them is bowling brilliantly, it can actually lift the pressure from the other guy who’s bowling from the other end.
“So I think it’s very important that they hunt in pairs, and I think that’s what they have been doing really well so far.
When Jadeja puts the pressure, Ashwin gets the wicket; when Ashwin puts the pressure, Jadeja gets the wicket.
Both of them are very crucial for each other’s success and for the success of the team,” he said.