Dhoni elated

India 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.

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 quarterfinals.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

"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 agreed with South African skipper AB de Villiers that the pitch was two-paced in the second session which made batting difficult, but praised his bowlers and the team's fielding.

"I felt the mix of pace was good from our bowlers, but what was really crucial was the use of the bouncer," he said.

"The two run outs in the middle overs (of AB de Villiers and David Miller) from the deep really changed the game for us."

Dhoni heaped lavish praise on his fast bowlers, Mohit Sharma and Mohammad Shami, who claimed two wickets each to back up off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin's three wickets.

“It was definitely a fantastic performance by them," he said. "Maybe the wicket also helped us a bit, but still it was important to hit the right areas. They quickly assessed what was the right length to bowl. They never gave any extra width to the batsmen."