Mumbai, April 1: India skipper MS Dhoni was in a philosophical mood as he interacted with the media on the day before the ICC World Cup 2011 final. The skipper reflected on the tournament and the journey so far attending a packed media conference.

Excerpts from the interaction

On Ashish Nehra and Gautam Gambhir’s fitness status

Gautam looks good right now, Ashish [Nehra] is most likely ruled out [with] multiple fractures to the finger.

On whether India feel at a slight disadvantage since Sri Lanka have already played at the Wankhede Stadium

We just practiced [for] two and a half hours so I think we are quite familiar with it. One good thing is we didn’t have a long break between the semi-final and the final. Yesterday was a travelling day and today [was] a practice day, so that really helps in not thinking too much ahead, into the future. You are in the moment, yesterday you had a good night’s sleep and you get up in the morning, come to practice. And it’s hardly 14 to 20 hours before the start of the game, so in a way it’s good - you don’t get to think much about the future. Just being in the present and preparing yourself for the big game [is what we’re doing].

On the challenges faced while playing the tournament

Overall, every game was a challenge for us. As soon as you reached the knockout stages, if you see the kind of intensity played [out] in the quarters, and see that we had to be at our best and that’s what we did. We didn’t think too much about the result - we were all thinking about how we needed to prepare ourselves, how we needed to [transfer] the intensity on the field so we could field better and switch off when [we] were home.

On the emotions attached to the CWC final

As I always say, will it help us perform? Don’t we have enough to think of right now? I think everybody wants to do well in this game including Gary [Kirsten]. It’s all about this particular game being in the present and once we are done with the game, irrespective of the result, we all know how Gary has been with us, how he has changed cricket and the atmosphere and the amount of effort he has put in. So we will think about it later. First things first, you know. It’s the final.

On the preparation for the final

Preparation remains the same, you know, it’s just that the side changes. It’s not about the side, it’s about the finals - how you turn up on the field and what you actually do on the field because you want to end the tournament on a good note. You may have put in 200 percent effort during the course of the tournament but we all know that till that full stop doesn’t come, the sentence is not complete. We all know how well we need to prepare, improve the strengths, [work on the] weaknesses, what we need to do on the field. So I think it’s a big game for all of us.

On the team’s performance

If you are talking about potential, as to what we can do on the field, there is plenty to come. But still we have done quite well in the tournament. We have won games with quite a few runs in the pocket and quite a few wickets left when we have chased. So I think if we give the best that we can, then it would be very interesting.

On the team

I am very proud out the team that I have got - each and every individual knows his goal and responsibility. Everyone has helped each other perform and that’s what is important as when you are part of a team sport. When you are supposed to play with ten other people on the field and four others as your bench strength, what you want is each and every one to enjoy each the other’s success. So I don’t think it’s the result that makes the team good, it’s just that the team atmosphere is very good. Each and every individual is very special, when you are dealing with 15 [players], at least 12 to 13 stars have won a game on their own, so it’s a very special side.

I think we slowly gained momentum which is very important because if you are too focussed, too intense right from the very start, what happens is that to keep that intensity going for 35 or 40 days gets a bit difficult. So I think the format of the tournament gave us some time to get into the groove of being at our best. We peaked at the right time and we continued that pace. So the format just gave us those extra moments where we can say we can start light and as the tournament progresses, we will grow with the tournament, - that was the main aspect.

On the rotation of bowlers

If you would have asked the question after the final, I would have been very happy to share everything but I think it’s important that you rotate your bowlers because you don’t really follow a fixed plan. Normally most of the team have their main bowlers, have their bowling strength, that this bowler is going to bowl two or three overs maximum, so you can prepare accordingly. But at times you can surprise the opposition - they may be thinking that this bowler will bowl three overs; take him out for two and save that one over for when you really need him. I think the rotation of bowlers is very important. At times the bowler can come in for a short spell […] Because at the end of the day it’s not about one bowler. The whole bowling attack needs to be at its best. So I felt that the individuals, they have responded really well to the bowling changes and the rotation-wise bowling. Most of the bowlers, they love bowling quite a few overs at a stretch because they are quite settled in their length and line and they don’t want the batsman to swing […]

On Ashish Nehra’s replacement

That’s a tricky one because if you see the Mumbai track, you know there is a bit of pace and bounce for the seamers initially - there’s a bit of reverse swing going. That third seamer can have an impact on the team […] What it does is, when all the seamers are bowling well, you are able to manoeuvre more with the bowlers […] You don’t have room to manoeuvre the bowlers, if one of the fast bowlers has an off day then it gets very difficult. Still not to forget [Ravichandran] Ashwin has done really well irrespective of where he has played, so we have confidence in him. But still we have not clearly thought as to whether we need to go with three seamers or we need to go with two seamers and one extra.

On whether he feels that Sri Lanka are playing mind-games by discussing Muralitharan’s possible absence from the playing XI

Definitely, they are playing games because you are talking about it. I always say we think about our strengths, who they are playing who they are not playing is their concern and though it affects us, it is beyond our control. As a team we prepare for the whole opposition – [we take into account] the players who can miss the game under the circumstances and plan accordingly.

As far as Muralitharan is concerned, he is a very special individual. He has been part of the Chennai Super Kings for the last three years. [He is a] very good character to have in the dressing room and an equally good opponent to play with. He plays fair cricket, he believes in himself and is great entertainment to have on the field. So I think he will definitely play the game.

On the comparative bowling analysis of Pakistan and Sri Lanka

To compare the bowling departments, a lot depends on what kind of wicket we are playing on, whether it is a turning track or whether it is a flat track. Overall if you say, okay, don’t think about the wicket, just think about the side, then I think Pakistan have the more balanced bowling attack. Shahid Afridi is bowling at his best, as I said in one of the press conferences. If you compare his first 150 wickets in ODIs with the second 150 wickets that he took, you will find [his wickets in] the second spell [are] a lot less compared to the first spell. I think he is bowling at his best and along with [Saeed] Ajmal, he is very deceptive, he has got a very good ‘doosra’. As [for the] seamers, Shoaib Akhtar is on the bench. I think they are a more balanced bowling attack irrespective of the wicket.

On Sachin Tendulkar’s frame of mind going into the big final

Well, [since] he made his debut in 1989, the last 21 years, the whole of India has been expecting [a lot] from him, so I don’t think there is anything new. Being the kind of individual he is, he always thinks about going on to the field and giving his best because as I always say, it is not about the result, you can’t control the result. But what you can control is how you are preparing for the day. If you prepare well, it’s your day definitely - you can get big runs and you can win. No point speaking about what milestones you are supposed to achieve, he has achieved a lot, so he doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone, it’s just about himself. So I think just prepare well, have a good night’s sleep and [turn up].

Every time there is a practice session or a game on, you find him giving his 100 percent. Whenever he turns up on the field, he gets there with a purpose in mind and till that doesn’t get resolved, he is one person who won’t leave. More often than not, the kind of talent he has got, he makes sure he gets the problem rectified. I think the attitude has not changed for the last 21 years.

On batting first

It’s a big game. Being the final, more often than not most teams would love to bat first, put runs on the board and put the pressure on the opposition. I feel that will be the only aspect. Apart from that we just talked about the wicket, maybe it gets slower as the game progresses. But I don’t think there will be too much difference, apart from handling the pressure which maybe more in the second innings compared to the team batting first.

On the pressure of the India-Pakistan game

It was a big game. An India-Pakistan game is always a big game and when you see the guest list, then the there is further pressure on you. There are a few things that you don’t know and that you don’t know is better. Yeah, but there is pressure on the individual playing Pakistan. But at the same time what we do as a team is [accept that] it is not the hype or what the expectations are [that matters] but at the end of the day the 11 individuals who are a part of the side that you will be playing against, the people who are the bench strength, they have to face each and everything. So rather than thinking about something that is beyond your control, it is very important to be in the present, preparing well and going on to the field and giving it your best shot because you can’t control the result at all […] I feel it’s not the result but the preparation that’s important and of course, we were quite drained after the semi-final. But the next two days we have utilised in the best way that we could have and hopefully we can give our best in the final.

On considering popping pills to handle the pressure

Well it’s not a bad option, if you need one. It’s not that everybody needs to be given pills], I am quite good when it comes to sleeping, I don’t need a sleeping tablet. But the kind of tournament it is, if you need it, why not gobble one because it doesn’t affect you to that extent. Again, do you think that the semi-final was not intense enough? Every game that we played [including] the quarters, every game turns into a intense game from the final to the second final to the third final - I don’t know for how many finals we have played. There will be nervous energy revolving in both the camps, so if needed, gobble one.

On the team

It’s a team sport, you are part of the team sport, you don’t think individually. And as far as success goes, there is a big change that happened after the 1983 win. After that, every two or three years you got a player who was big enough and then you had Sachin Tendulkar and Anil Kumble making their debuts at around the same time. In a few years’ time we had Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid making their debuts followed by VVS Laxman. So what is important is everyone’s contribution. Every four years five years we had an individual who was very gifted and very special and then came the new era of players with Virender Sehawg , Harbhajan Singh and the way they performed in the 2003 World Cup. And the latest generation came in [at the time of] the 2007 World Cup. It’s not about individuals, it’s not about just the people, it’s all about the team. What kind of team you have got and how the individuals respond to different signs [is important].

On staying at the Taj in Mumbai

The emotional thing as to what happened there [still looms]. We were treated very nicely by the Taj staff. Everybody was at their best. Definitely there are memories involved, you certainly remember the day [26/11] that we are talking about, but still we need to be calm, composed and focus on what our job is over here so hopefully tomorrow we will turn up.