Mental element will be very important: Mahendra Singh Dhoni

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said Wednesday that mental strength will be the key when they face defending champions Australia in the quarterfinal of the World Cup at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera here Thursday.

?The mental element will be very important but at the same time you have to rely on skill. Ultimately it has to reflect on the field and it?s the skill that really helps you give your best on the field. But of course mentally you have to be in a very good frame of mind to
execute your plans,? he said.

Dhoni wants his boys to keep their emotions under control.

?That?s one of the factors among others. But most Indian cricketers are good at it. We win a few games and we lose a few. We score a lot of runs and people get wickets at the same time. I don?t think it is going to be a big problem,? he said.

Dhoni was also concerned about his team?s vulnerability to collapses.

?In all the games we were in a position where we wanted to accelerate and get as many runs as possible.

“I think that was one of the main reasons why we lost a number of wickets as we did. Of course, you need to accelerate but once you have lost those maybe 2-3 wickets you need to curb your instincts and look to bat 50 overs and instead of looking to get 40 runs you should look to get 20-25 runs which may really count at the end of the day,? he said.

Dhoni was all praise for his pace spearhead Zaheer Khan.

?Yes we have relied a lot on him to get us those breakthroughs and he has always responded well. I think the responsibility is with all the players but at the same time if Zaheer Khan provides us with the breakthroughs we don?t really mind it.

“We have been able to capitalize on the breakthroughs that we have got. That?s a big positive for us,? he said.

On the availability of opener Virender Sehwag, Dhoni said: ?On Viru (Sehwag) we are taking a call late in the evening or tomorrow morning before the start of the game.”

“It’s really good to have Virender Sehwag opening the innings for you, because… deliveries will be short and to the body… and he’s the kind of batsman, if you are slightly wrong with it, he can make the most out of that kind of a bowling,” he said.

Dhoni said: “He (Sehwag) can play an aggressive game, he can change the course of the game in the first five overs and give your team the kind of momentum that is needed.?