Raina asked me to bat up the order: Dhoni

Ranchi: Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Saturday said that it was Suresh Raina who asked him to go up the order so that the Ranchi crowd could see their `hero` score the winning runs in the first international match at the JSCA International Stadium here.

Dhoni hit the winning runs, a pull off Steven Finn towards square leg boundary, as India thrashed England by seven wickets in the third ODI to go 2-1 up in the five-match series. Asked about his promotion to number four, Dhoni, who normally bats at six, said, "It was not really his decision. I was sitting next to Raina who was up next and he said why don`t you go there. It did not look like a wicket would fall but fortunately or unfortunately Yuvraj got out and I had to come. "I understand the fact that people would love to see me bat up front with the match being held in Ranchi. But priority was to win the match. I am not here just to entertain the people of Ranchi. So we used our best option at that point," he said at the post-match press conference." Asked whether hitting the winning run was the most special moment, Dhoni refused to rate any. "There are quite a few ones. It`s difficult to remember as you live in the present. It`s difficult for me to exactly remember the 2007 World T20 that we won, and even the last one -- the fifty-over World Cup. There are quite a few moments that we really enjoyed," he said. "It would be difficult for me to rate. But in the end, I would like to say that it`s one of the best stadia. Overall there was very good playing and the execution was perfect." Giving credit to his bowlers for bundling out England for 155, Dhoni said it`s good that India now have a big pool of bowlers with the experienced ones nursing injuries. "Most of experienced bowlers are injured so the newcomers have got chance. The positive side is that the pool of bowlers has become bigger. With more and more games under their belt they would imporove and we would have good pool of bowlers," said Dhoni. "It was not a flat wicket. There was a bit of help for the pacers. That`s what they did and we started well. We kept attacking as they started exploiting the conditions. It was nipping around (in second innings). Gauti batted really well with virat. The intent was very good," he said. Asked about opening the bowling with two new ball bowlers in Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shami Ahmed, Dhoni said, "We wanted the new ball to be used in a best possible manner. So we used Bhuvneshwar and Shami up front. "Ishant gets a bit more bounce so even if the ball becomes old he can still be effective. Moreover he is our most-experienced bowler among the three. Overall they are looking good on different wickets," he said. "There was something in the wicket. Once we got Cook and other batsmen out without many runs on the board, we were able to put pressure. It was a decent wicket for the spinners who have bowled well. Jadeja only bowled six overs but was able to put pressure and get the side out. The performance of all the bowlers` was crucial," he added. On his decision to field first, Dhoni said, "Dew was the main aspect. In the first practice session, there was decent amount of dew. We may be restricted putting pressure on batsmen." Dhoni said it`s good for India to get huge support in all the venues be it in Ranchi, Kochi or Rajkot. "The response has been good everywhere. Of course support will be good anywhere in india. Excited public all over, it really helps," he said. Praising his home venue, Dhoni said, "It`s a beautiful stadium, It was important to get off to a good start. We did not let opposition make a big score so we`re in a good position to chase and win easily." PTI