India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said he was looking to openers Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar to fire at the top of the order as the host nation eyes the quarter-finals. "If our openers can bat as long as possible, it will be good for us because from what we have seen, if Sachin and Sehwag get going it is difficult to stop them," Dhoni said on the eve of his Group B match against South Africa.
"I am just hoping that in coming games we have slightly bigger partnerships so that the middle and the lower middle order can use the explosive power well. "We rely on momentum and if we get a good start, our lower order can really cash in on the platform that is provided to us."
The explosive Sehwag and Tendulkar are capable of dominating any attack but their highest stand in the World Cup so far has been 69. When asked whether India would be wary of South African paceman Dale Steyn in Saturday's clash in Nagpur, the Indian skipper said: "Not only Steyn. All of them are talented and can get batsmen out and you have to be at your best."
Steyn destroyed India with a 10-wicket match haul in the opening Test in Nagpur last year, helping his team notch an innings victory. Dhoni said the intensity would pick up as the tournament progressed and he wanted to gain momentum in the run-up to the last-eight fixtures. Dhoni said India had not decided whether to go with an extra fast bowler against South Africa.