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Need to raise intensity on field: Dhoni

By Pti

R Eswar

Chennai, Feb 15 (PTI) Indian cricket captain MahendraSingh Dhoni expects his team to raise the intensity as theWorld Cup approaches and he wants a proof of it in the secondand final pre-event warm-up game against New Zealand heretomorrow.

"We need to pick up a bit of intensity on the field. Wewill be progressing into the World Cup games this being thelast warm up match you will see the intensity will be bit upon the field," Dhoni said ahead of the match.

Brushing aside talk of World Cup, beginning February 19,being an acid test of his captaincy, Dhoni said challengeswill always be there.

"Tests will always be there. There will be alwayssomething new coming up to present a different kind ofchallenge. So I think World Cup is also one of them. As far asthe team is concerned, I feel we have got a very good side.

That''s what really matters," Dhoni said.

"I do not believe in comparisons. But if you see the mixof players, it is really good. It is not about the kind ofplayers we have got on paper, but what we do on the fieldwhich matters at the end of day," he added.

On the middle-order batting collapse in the first warm-uptie against Australia, which India won by 38 runs due to agood bowling performance, Dhoni said "I think we needed apartnership in the middle, which didn''t really happen for us.

That was one of the reasons we were not able to score big.

"The lower order''s contribution of 49 helped us. At theend of the day, we didn''t really have a par score on the boardas we made 214. But spinners really bowled well they used theconditions well," he added.

Talking about the preparation and the likely playing XIin the World Cup, Dhoni said, "most of the players are doingwell which means that for one or two spots we are talkingabout, you have one or two contenders trying to grab theplace.

"It is really good for the side, because this means wehave got more options and more the options the better it is.

The selection depends on the condition of wicket for each gameand as to how we read the wicket. It is really good for theside that everyone is shaping up well for the tournament," headded. .

Story first published: Tuesday, February 15, 2011, 14:00 [IST]
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