If India had to tie a few loose ends before going into the semifinal against Sri Lanka at the Sophia Gardens, on Thursday, it would probably revolve around middle-order batsman Suresh Raina regaining his touch and Ishant Sharma keeping a check on his economy rate. That aside, Team India have only gotten better in all departments as the Champions Trophy has progressed.

Lack of runs from Raina's bat and Ishant's costly spells haven't been bothering skipper MS Dhoni much right now. He believes there's a time element involved with each cricketer to fall in line with the conditions, adapt well, and deliver.

"In each game there will be a few bowlers who will go for runs, but we also have to see what are his strengths, and what he brings to the side against a particular opposition. Ishant is someone who gets a decent amount of bounce, is tall and can have a big impact, especially in the middle overs once the ball gets slightly old," says Dhoni.

He points out that earlier in the tournament, Umesh Yadav had a bad game but quickly made the necessary corrections and then Ishant went through a similar phase.

"I think on and off, each player is likely to have a few games where they'll go for runs. It's important to keep backing these guys and also the fact that they learn a lot out of these matches," says the skipper.

Against Sri Lanka in particular, says Dhoni, the team cannot rely on any past statistics because the format is a very different one. The semifinal is being played between relatively new players, in different conditions and under different rules, for which both teams will have to pad up afresh.

"I think they are a dangerous side. Overall if you see their first seven batsmen, all of them are very dangerous," says the skipper. Dhoni does say that India understand Lasith Malinga a lot better.


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