Indian captain MS Dhoni lauded Virender Sehwag's innings, saying the blistering 83 shaped up the winning chase for his team.

Dhoni said had it not been for Sehwag's assault on the fourth day, India would have been defending the Test instead of winning it convincingly.

"Sehwag is our playmaker. It was thanks to his knock that Sachin (Tendulkar) and Yuvraj (Singh) could stay out there and press for the victory."

Dhoni, who himself scored 53 in the first innings and was involved in a crucial partnership with Harbhajan Singh (40) said he and Bhajji knew they had to add as many runs as they could.

The wicketkeeper batsman admitted India did not play well in the first three days: "We did not play well in the first three days. But we came back well over the last two days and won most of the sessions. That is what mattered. It was important to play good cricket over the last two days."

Dhoni also thanked the Chennai fans for the home support, saying that was always crucial in a home Test.

The last day crowd in Chennai was the highest recorded throughout the Test and with good reasons too, with India looking firm favourites to win the match at the start of the final day.