"Before going in I said, let's first of all get rid of the feeling that it's a 50-over game. It's a 20-over game, and we have seen in IPL and in T20 formats, 130 runs can be a difficult target to achieve," Dhoni said.
"I told them not to look at the sky or the opposition. I told them that God helps those who help themselves. I said God is not coming to save us. If you want to win this trophy, we'll have to fight it out," he said while addressing the media in the post-match press conference here last night.
"We are the number-one ranked ODI side, so let's make sure that they have to fight for these 130-odd runs. Don't look for any outside help."
India defended a modest score of 129 to outwit England by five runs in thrilling final of the ICC Champions Trophy at Edgbaston in a rain-hit match that was ultimately decided by a T20 game.
"It is unfair to call it the final of the Champions Trophy. When the final of a 50-over game is decided by a T20 game, then some shine is lost but this win means a lot. We played against the best teams in the world and to beat England in England is always good," Dhoni said.
Dhoni singled out praise for Man-of-the-Match Ravindra Jadeja and highest scorer of the tournament, Shikhar Dhawan.
"Jadeja is someone who keeps it very simple. He bowls a good line and lets the ball do the talking. The good part was he contributed with the bat, which I feel is very important because he's someone who will have to bat at number seven," the Indian captain said.