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Rediff.com  » Cricket » Dhoni delighted with century

Dhoni delighted with century

By Ashish Magotra in Mumbai
February 08, 2005 23:25 IST
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Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who scored a brilliant century to guide India Seniors to an eight-wicket victory over India 'B' in the second match of the Challenger Series at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday, was delighted with his performance.

The wicketkeeper-batsman couldn't hide his joy, saying he is particularly happy that he scored a century in front of India coach John Wright and captain Sourav Ganguly.

"Ganguly and Wright have heard of me. But they have never really seen me bat. So it is a very, very big thing for me to perform in front of them. After all, seeing is believing," the 23-year-old from Jharkhand said.

Dhoni, who left the ground because of cramps when he was on 87, returned in the final overs, after the fall of the second wicket -- that of Ganguly -- to complete his century.

In the first match against India 'A', he was bowled by Zaheer Khan off the first delivery he faced, so on Tuesday Ganguly advised him to adopt different strategy.

"Ganguly asked me to be circumspect for the first eight overs as the ball tends to move a lot then. So once that period was over we proceeded to attack," Dhoni said.

"In the first match I was not prepared for Zaheer's incoming delivery, but this time I was prepared for Ashish Nehra, who bowls a similar line and swings the ball into the batsman, which is why I was a little slow to start off.

"I was not nervous, but only being cautious."

Talking about the standing ovation he received as he walked off the ground, Dhoni said, "It was an awesome feeling."

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Ashish Magotra in Mumbai

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