"That is immaterial now," he pointed out. "This is the biggest stage, a World Cup final, India vs Pakistan in Johannesburg, where there is support for both teams. It could be very exciting and the pressure will be immense, but not on us. It is a match that needs to be played with intensity. But there is no point in taking additional pressure because it can bring down the confidence of a player and affect his performance. We are playing each other more frequently of late, so the teams are getting used to each other and are aware of the respective strategies."  Dhoni hoped for a good final, one without incidents.  "With India and Pakistan, you can't predict us. That's why even leading teams are scared of us! Let's hope for the best, let's hope for a good game of cricket tomorrow, and without any incidents!"

Ahead of the title clash, Dhoni's message for cricket fans was clear. "It has always been tough for us. Earlier, it used to be fan following, now it has become an obsession. Now, the only thing they want is for us to win all the time, to win every single game. That is not possible, and that puts too much pressure. The fans should be able to understand that, and they should remain fans."

Dhoni was understandably jubilant with India’s semifinal win over Australia. "Every win is important. This is a new team and it is a huge stage. This is the first Twenty20 World Cup. The teams we have beaten here are strong teams. Every match has been a do or die match for us, it has been quite exhausting and there has been a lot of tension. But even so, each and every guy is enjoying himself, not just his own success but also each others' performances. There are no superstars in this team," he said.

Asked what he felt people like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly would be thinking back home after deciding to give this tournament the miss, the Indian skipper replied, "I am sure if they had been here, they would have taken us to the final. If we do win the final on Monday, they I can say that they couldn't have done more than what this team has done. The way we have performed has been amazing."

Dhoni reiterated that the squad here, as well as a few guys back home, were the bench strength of Indian cricket. "The playing in this tournament, plus a few guys back home like Suresh Raina, Manoj Tiwari and S Badrinath, as well as a couple of other players, they are our bench strength. Till I am the captain of the side, I won't predict or say anything about outcomes. We will play every match as a one-off match, as a one-off series.  We should go to the dressing room each day knowing that we gave it our best shot every single time, irrespective of whether we have won or we have lost."

Dhoni revealed Harbhajan had volunteered to bowl the 18th over in the semifinal, with Australia needing 30 for victory. "He wanted the responsibility, he wanted the ball because he had the confidence.