Says Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni during a press conference on the eve of World T20 Final against Sri lanka. Excerpts
On how does he focus with all that is happening off the fieldIJ
Over the years that I have been the captain I have seen almost everything. There is nothing really that I have not seen in cricket. Controversies are big part of Indian cricket and I have been through all it. There's hardly any good or bad in Indian cricket that happens without my name.
On the comparative mood between now and the eve of the 2007 T20 final
Yaar chaar din pahle ki baat humein yaad naahin rahti aur aap saat saal pahle ki baat puch rahein ho (I don't remember what happened four days back and you are asking me about what happened seven years back!) It is very difficult to recall as to what we felt just on the eve of that 2007 final. Obviously, I can say that there was a lot of excitement back then as it is now. We hope it will be an interesting final."
On does he analyse his captaincy
That's not really for me to decide because from outside, you can judge it better than me. I have been given the responsibility and I try to fulfil it to the best of my potential. At the same time, as an individual, you will make mistakes and as a captain, I feel it is very important that if you commit a mistake, you go out there and admit it.
On how does he keep his cool and how important is it
It's not that I was a calm person during my growing up years. I also did not like to lose. When I was younger, I found it hard to control my emotions and it used to be difficult for me. But then over a period of time, I learnt to control my emotions. If emotions are of personal nature, irrespective of the circumstances, you should be able to control those. That's what I believe in and I have also benefited from this thought process. Because there are situations in a match, where you can be tempted to take a decision based on emotions t then you need to think practically also.
On Virat Kohli
Certain players play in a different way. Virat is somebody who is very different if you compare him to someone like a Rohit Sharma or a Yuvraj Singh or a Suresh Raina. That's how you build the character of a side. He has done fantastically well in the last few years. I feel he has been someone who has grabbed the opportunity to the best of his potential. More often than not, you will see individuals, if they get five games, they will talk about if I get two more games, I would have done something. But if you see Virat, the very first game he gets as an opportunity, he grabs it with both hands. I am talking about his initial years and there were 3-4 games where he got out after a good start — scored close to 60, 65, 70 runs and got out. He was really disappointed with himself and wanted to improve on that. Because of all those reasons, today you see him as a consistent performer, somebody who doesn't throw his wicket.
On the final
It is important for us to play well in the final and not think about the rest of the things. Winning World Cup for the country is more important than thinking about the other stuff. In this format, I don't think psychological advantage will matter as the difference between good side and another side is narrow. All boils down to how a team plays on that particular day and how individuals respond to a particular situation. I think that's all that will be crucial.
On competitors Sri lanka
Sri lanka is a very good side with a fantastic track record. They have got spinners who are exactly suited to this surface. They have a mix of youth and experience. Along with Mahela, Sanga and Malinga, they have also got youngsters like Angelo Mathews.
On Jayawardene and Sangakkara who'll retire from T20s after the WC
Definitely, lankans will miss their presence in the dressing room. Among themselves, the two I guess have played in excess of 650 ODIs and a lot of Tests. It's a fair amount of experience and they will certainly miss that. But then every good thing comes to an end. They will have to get somebody to fill in the space.
On what would he say to his team before the game
There is no guru mantra as such. As I said before, individuals need to take greater responsibility and we saw an indication of that in the last match. The openers played very well. Rohit gave us a very good start because of which it became slightly easier for the middle order. Tomorrow's match will be a big match for us and we will enter the ground with the same attitude.