Dhoni praises pacers for title win over Sri Lanka

Dambulla: Mahendra Singh Dhoni commended the efforts of Zaheer Khan (2 for 36) and Ashish Nehra (4 for 40) for bowling India to a resounding 81-run win over Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup finals at the Rangiri international stadium here today.

"I knew what my fast bowlers were capable of doing on this wicket. Both Ashish and Zaheer bowled brilliantly. With the ball doing a bit off the seam, it was always going to be difficult for their batsmen to score runs off them," said an elated Dhoni, adding he was happy to win the cup after 15 years.

However, he hoped his seamers would be more consistent in the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka.

"This was one of the best performances by our fast bowlers in recent times. But they need to be more consistent ahead," said Dhoni.

"I wouldn't say that we are playing to our best but we are constantly improving. We showed that on the field today. Our bowlers, especially the fast bowlers, did well and made use of the conditions as there was something for them under lights.

"Even our batsmen did well though I wish after getting good starts we had converted them into big ones," said the jubilant Indian captain.

Asia Cup

He said there was a need to rest key players as India needed them to be fit for the 2011 World Cup on the Asian sub-continent.

"Some of us senior players took a break. We came back fresh for this tournament and did well. We all are working on our fitness and it is an aspect that may not show immediately on the field.

"We are aiming to field our best players for the World Cup and we hope that they are fit during that period, even if we need to rest key players," said Dhoni.

He said it was satisfying to get five dismissals and hoped to continue to make himself count more behind the sticks.

Talking about the youngsters, he said they need some more games under their belt.

"They are learning from their mistakes. But they need to play more games to gain experience."

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara admitted that his side was completely outplayed by India.

"We got to give it to India. They outplayed us in conditions that they utilised to the best of their advantage. The bowlers did well with the new ball which set us back at the start," said Sangakkara.