Dhoni praises 'big match' Yuvi

Yuvraj came to India's rescue against Netherlands with an allround effort of 2-43 and 51 not out in a five-wicket win at the Ferozeshah Kotla Stadium.

Yuvraj, on Sunday, became the first player to complete a double of taking five wickets and scoring a half-century in a World Cup match. He finished with 5-31 and anchored India's chase with 50 not out against Ireland.

Yuvraj now has three consecutive half-centuries in the tournament, having also made 58 against England in an earlier group match.

Dhoni said it was always heartening to see Yuvraj perform in such fashion.

"It is good to see him scoring runs, and I am really pleased to see him taking wickets as well," Dhoni said. "He is one who will always throw himself around in the field too."

Dhoni also indicated that Yuvraj could see himself back at his favourite No 4 position, for which Virat Kohli has been the team's first choice in recent matches.

"I think No 4 is an important batting spot. Yuvraj is the best man for that spot, especially because he is a left-hander," said Dhoni.

But the Indian captain also felt specialist spinners Harbhajan Singh and Piyush Chawla remained important for the team.

"It is not as if you can make spinners sit out, make Yuvraj bowl and then play two extra batsmen," Dhoni said when asked if his left-arm spin could fill in for a regular spinner.

"The opposition seems happy to block out Harbhajan and that is why he has not been getting wickets. Maybe they (the batsmen) are trying to attack Yuvraj and getting out to him.

"Harbhajan reacts to opposition, to aggression. You will see a different Harbhajan as the tournament heats up."

Dhoni said the team could do with more wickets early on.

"Wickets with the new ball are important, because conditions in the subcontinent are such that it is the only way you can stop the opposition from scoring at a brisk pace. We have not been able to do that regularly, but that does not mean we can't do that," he said.

The Indian skipper said he was not too worried that the team had to face some tough moments in the matches against Ireland and the Netherlands.

"Overall, it has been a good experience, because you don't suddenly want your middle order exposed against big teams. You can say that everybody has a fair amount of exposure in our World Cup campaign," he said.