Mahendra Singh Dhoni admits misreading wicket at Mohali

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said despite the win he had misread the pitch against Pakistan in semi-final of the World Cup here Wednesday.

“We got off to a fantastic start through Sehwag and Sachin. As the game progressed the wicket got slower, and in the middle overs it was difficult to score.

Shahid bowled really well, and it was important to just play the bowling with respect. 260 was a good score for this pitch. It was turning, we read the wicket wrong and that’s why we went with three seamers, but in the end the seamers bowled really well too,? said Dhoni.

The captain said going with three seamers was the only choice left for him.

?We don’t have bowlers who can bowl 140 plus, overall we rely on what you might call deception – change of length, line and pace. Zaheer did really well, over the years with experience and in IPL and things like that he’s become really smart. We’ve struggled at times in this tournament, but that’s the beauty of this game,” he said.

Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi congratulated the Indian team.

“First of all I’d like to congratulate the Indian cricket team and the Indian nation for this great victory, and wish them all the best for the final,” he said.

“Wahab really bowled well today, but we missed some opportunities. They played better than us. We didn’t make partnerships, we played some irresponsible shots, and a partnership was crucial.

“I want to say sorry to my nation. We tried our level best, and we enjoyed ourselves
at this tournament.”

Sachin Tendulkar, who’s played in every world cup game between India and Pakistan since 1992, is the Man of the Match.

He said: “First of all I’d like to thank everyone here for terrific support, without that
this wouldn’t have been possible, and not to forget the whole team’s efforts today. We just had to make sure we got to a decent, fighting total. When we started I was thinking of 310 to 315, which was par score for me, but the way the ball started stopping and spinning,
something closer to 270 was par.”

“Going back to Mumbai for this event is going to be a wonderful occasion, we’ve got to be calm and focussed. This has been memorable, and something I will cherish all through my life.”