[Sports] - It was a win that lifted our spirits - Kumar Sangakkara

It may not have been a comprehensive or clinical victory, but our dramatic last-over win against Deccan Chargers was no less sweet for that. We made plenty of mistakes along the way, especially with the bat, but we can be truly proud of the fighting spirit we showed.

It was a win that lifted our spirits and leaves us agonizingly close to a place in the semi-finals. However, we are not home yet. Far from it, in fact. Besides some very good fortune, we need to beat Chennai Super Kings and that will require some extremely good cricket.

We do need to bat better. Once again, there were too many soft dismissals. When you are missing guys like Mahela Jayawardene in the middle order because of injury, it is crucial that the top order takes on greater responsibility. We cannot expect to beat Chennai unless we see a big improvement in this department.

It was another sterling performance by Irfan Pathan on Sunday. The manner in which he held himself together in the final over, refusing to give up despite Rohit Sharma's thunderous hitting, showed great mental strength. He was cool-headed and apparently nerveless. It was brilliant.

But Irfan was not the only hero. I thought Romesh Powar was fantastic. Harbhajan Singh may be the best off-spinner in India but Romesh is not far behind him. He mixes his pace expertly, can really spin the ball and has a fine straighter ball. He is also a good thinker.

His two-wicket over, including the dismissal of Adam Gilchrist, opened the door for us at a time when Deccan appeared to be cruising. It invigorated the team, filling us with self-belief, while also denting the confidence of Deccan. It was a crucial turning point.

Then, of course, there was Yuvi's second hat-trick of the tournament. We all admire Yuvraj for his effortless clean hitting, but his bowling is very useful too. In this IPL, his left-arm spin has been a crucial part of our attack and that spell, helped by some sharp catching, swung the initiative our way.

I feel that the win, like the previous one against Delhi, will help us grow stronger. We are becoming used to pressure games and we expect to pull through in the tighter games. That inner strength and belief is crucial in what is effectively now a knock-out competition.