Dhoni: No pressure on India

Skipper insists rankings are not India's priority

By Rachel Griffiths   Last updated: 1st December 2009   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Dhoni: No pressure on India

Dhoni: Claims rankings are not priority

We are not thinking about the ranking because you don't really want to be under pressure, you just want to play your natural game and play according to the game plan

Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Quotes of the week

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India v Sri Lanka
Third Test - day one
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India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni insists his side are under no pressure to secure the top spot in the rankings in their third and final match against Sri Lanka.

Dhoni's men lead the series 1-0 and will replace South Africa as the top-ranked Test side for the first time if they win at the Brabourne stadium to claim a 2-0 overall result.

If India draw or are defeated, Sri Lanka will remain in second place behind South Africa with India in third, but Dhoni is adamant that reaching the top spot is not the home side's priority.

"I think winning the series is more important, but at the end of the day if we do that it will reflect on the ratings," said Dhoni.

"We are not thinking about the ranking because you don't really want to be under pressure, you just want to play your natural game and play according to the game plan.

"We don't think about the ratings because we know if we keep winning, the ratings will take care of themselves."

Delighted

Dhoni was delighted with the result in Kampur last week, with India securing an innings and 144-run victory to follow up a high-scoring draw in the first match in Ahmedabad.

"There was no way we could have taken 20 wickets on that flat Ahmedabad wicket," said Dhoni.

"The bowlers did a good job in Kanpur because after the first two days it looked like another match with big scores."

Dhoni agrees with his Sri Lankan counterpart Kumar Sangakkara that the seamers and spinners in the teams will benefit from the grassless Brabourne stadium wicket, suggesting neither skippers are expecting a draw.

"The wicket looks good, the outfield is great," said Dhoni. "It is a ground where you will get value for your shots because the outfield is quick.

"There will be a bit of bounce for the fast bowlers and turn for the spinners as the match progresses. There could also be swing for the seamers because of the sea breeze."