I remember telling Gary Kirsten that MS Dhoni will fetch us the World Cup, reveals Paddy Upton

The Indian cricket team are gearing up for a tough challenge that awaits them in the UK as they enter the ICC World Cup 2019 as favorites along with hosts’ England. Former Indian support staff member and current Rajasthan Royals coach, Paddy Upton, was reminiscing India’s fairytale run to the 2011 World Cup trophy on home soil.

"I guess the real key moment was in the final, when Tendulkar and Sehwag got out. That ramped up the pressure. And the key moment was when Dhoni made the decision to bat ahead of the in-form Yuvraj Singh, despite not having made a significant contribution with the bat in the tournament. But he is the kind of player and leader who steps up when it matters most. When Dhoni was walking down the stairs, I remember turning to Gary and telling him that MS is going out to fetch us the trophy," Upton said in a recent interview with Scroll.in.

"They have very different approaches to batting, but the similarities are that they are absolutely focused on the job at hand and they understand exactly how to pace their innings. Both of them have very different ways of pacing their innings. Kohli gets to the run-rate and stays there from the first over, without accelerating or falling behind. Dhoni starts slowly and times his acceleration almost perfectly. So they have very different ways of seeing their team through to victory, they go about it in their own unique ways, but they are both equally effective," Upton added.