India put up a determined performance to beat England at Edgbaston to lift the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 in a closely-fought rain-reduced game. The MS Dhoni-led side held its nerve and remained unfazed to beat Alastair Cook’s side.

It was an emotional moment for the Men in Blue when they laid their hands on the trophy later in the evening. Speaking on the occasion, a visibly pleased India captain said, “It means a lot because you are playing against some of the best sides, and also the kind of match that we had won. To beat England in a 130-odd run game is very difficult.”

Before taking the field, Dhoni had told his team, “We are the No.1 ranked ODI side, so let us make sure that they have to fight for these 130-odd runs. Don't look for any outside help.”

Later, while addressing the media, Dhoni said, “Before going in I said, ‘Let's first of all get rid of the feeling that it's a 50-over game. It's a 20-over game, and we have seen in IPL and in T20 formats, 130 runs can be a difficult target to achieve.’ Secondly, nobody looks to the left of the pavilion. That’s the side that the rain was coming from. So, I said, ‘God is not coming to save us. If you want to win this trophy, we'll have to fight it out.’”

His bowlers stuck to their plan and when it did not work, the skipper promptly made changes to trap the England batsmen and exert pressure on them. Discussing his tactics, he explained, “There was something (in the wicket) for the bowlers, especially spinners. If you bowl in the right areas, you can hit the seam, get a bit of turn. And the ball was stopping a bit. That was the reason why we had those extra fielders and also because we wanted to put some extra pressure on their batsmen. It was very important (that) if it starts to turn, we have two spinners used right now. But it was important with our main bowlers we get wickets.”

Speaking about the key wicket of Jonathan Trott, England’s leading run-getter, he said, “Not only his, but Cook’s wicket was also important because the two batsmen looked to play through the innings, and the others rotate around them. So if they get a good partnership going, they can play freely.”

Another turning point of the game was the 18th over when Ishant Sharma ended Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara’s 64-run stand, and removed both off successive deliveries. Recalling that game-changing over, Dhoni explained, “Ishant went for a six. The strong breeze was going across the stadium, and if you middle the ball, there is a very good chance that it will go for a six. And the plan was to bowl outside off, with which I felt Ishant struggled a bit. So I said, no, let's get back to the original plan. This wide of length delivery is not really working for you, so we brought him back. And he bowled a slower one and deceived the batsman, and it worked.”

While discussing R Ashwin’s bowling, Dhoni elaborated, “The plan was to keep the spinners for the two overs of powerplay because the English are used to playing fast bowlers, and with key fielders outside, our bowlers would have found it quite difficult to contain the batsmen. So I thought with a bit of turn and with the left-right combination going in, it would be good to keep the spinners for the last two or three overs at least.”

“But for that it was very important that our fast bowlers bowled really well (earlier), so that we have more than eight or nine runs in the last two or three overs (to defend). I think we gave up a few deliveries from which they could score off the fast bowlers. But apart from that, the middle overs they came in here and bowled really well. And that really kept the pressure going,” he added.

Speaking about the shortened game playing a factor, Dhoni said, “We started very late. After that, also we went to bat and after every few overs they had to come off. (...) Whenever the batsmen felt that they were set, they could play those big strokes, they had to come out and we had 15-20 minute (breaks) at least.”

“That really never allowed us to gain any kind of momentum or build the kind of partnership that was needed. It reflected later on in the innings when the middle order went in to bat. They played a few big shots, and it never really paid off. It went straight to the fielders. I think it was the reason why we ended up scoring less than we should have scored or would have liked to score.”

For India it was once again Man of the Match Ravindra Jadeja who came to the rescue with both bat and ball. Appreciating the Golden Ball winner’s consistent performance, Dhoni said, “We have seen you can't play with six batsmen and five bowlers. The No.7 slot is very crucial, and he is the only one out of nine that can really do that job for us.”

Speaking about the other youngsters in the team, Dhoni said, “It was important that we have a look at some of these new guys and give them an opportunity. That's what we have done so far.”

“I am glad that all three of them (Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Dinesh Karthik) accepted the responsibility that was given. They took it as a challenge. (...) I think we need to give credit to them. (...) Both Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma gave us that good start that was needed. It was very important start for us, and that really kept us going through the tournament.”