India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni rated Sri Lanka as "a dangerous team" ahead of their ICC Champions Trophy semifinal here tomorrow, saying they were not just focussing on "a Mahela Jayawardene or a Kumar Sangakkara".
Tomorrow's semifinal will be the fifth meeting between India and Sri Lanka in the United Kingdom. Except for the shock defeat in the 1979 World Cup, India have easily won the remaining four. But Dhoni is taking nothing for granted.
"Sri Lanka are a dangerous squad. We just can't focus on a Mahela (Jayawardene) or a (Kumar) Sangakkara. We have to think of the entire team," Dhoni told reporters after a training session today.
Dhoni said there was no pressure on the Indian team to win the championship.
"It's the Indian media that creates all this hype (after the recent BCCI controversies back home) and then asks me questions. As far as we are concerned, we have to play good cricket, we are working hard and just proving ourselves."
The Indian captain has been quite selective in dealing with the press during the Champions Trophy.
Except mandatory ICC briefings, the Indian Cricket Board's (BCCI) media policies have made Dhoni hard to get.
Rain could play spoilsport during the second semifinal at the Sophia Cardens here and if the match is washed out, India will go through to the final in Birmingham on June 23 for having topped their group.
Equal on points, but due to an inferior run-rate, the Lankans finished at the second spot behind England in group A.
