India's calmness will be key in final, says Dhoni

By Ken Borland

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - India captain Mahendra Dhoni believes his team's calmness under pressure during their thrilling run in the Twenty20 World Cup will stand them in good stead for Monday's final against Pakistan.

"We have been playing tough matches. We played against Pakistan, New Zealand, a do-or-die match against South Africa and then we beat Australia, so we have been under a lot of pressure, but you learn to deal with it and we are getting used to it," Dhoni told reporters on Sunday.

"So we will treat the final as just another do-or-die match. You need to go on to the field and give 100 percent and not worry too much about the outcome."

Dhoni, recently appointed as India's limited-overs captain, has impressed with his leadership and shown himself to be a cool operator under pressure.

"You have to be calm when you make decisions that will have a big impact on the game. If you are calm, you have more chance of making the right decisions, but having several team mates who have played over a hundred international matches really helps too," he said.

The Indian wicketkeeper/batsman rated the sheer unpredictability of both finalists as the main reason for their success in the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup.

EXCITING FINAL