MELBOURNE: Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said his team was on the right track at the World Cup after hammering South Africa by 130 runs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday.
Shikhar Dhawan hit 137 as the defending champions piled up 307 for seven and then bundled out the Proteas for 177 with almost 10 overs to spare in front of 86,878 largely Indian fans.
The win followed the 76-run win over arch-rivals Pakistan in Adelaide last Sunday and left Dhoni’s men needing a win over unfancied United Arab Emirates in Perth on Saturday to advance to the quarter-finals.
“It is very satisfying to have back-to-back wins and especially the way we have won both games,” a delighted Dhoni said.
“Both Pakistan and South Africa games were important for us. Against Pakistan it was a complete batting performance and this game too I felt we did really well with the batting.
“A total of 307 was definitely a par-plus score on this wicket and when we turned up with the ball, I think we bowled in the right areas and we made it tough for the opposition to score.”
Dhoni said he felt the mix of pace was good from his bowlers, but the use of the bouncer was crucial.