New Delhi, Mar 10 (PTI) Unfazed by the criticism for persisting with an off-colour Piyush Chawla game after game, Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni defended the leg-spinner's selection, saying he needs to be kept in "good mental state" for the tough World Cup matches ahead.

Chawla leaked quite a few runs against the Netherlands for his two wickets yesterday but Dhoni said he was selected for this match to get him back in rhythm.

"We had to see which player needed this game. Piyush (Chawla) has been under pressure a bit. You want your bowlers to be in good mental state, and that is one reason why we gave him the chance," Dhoni said at the post-match press conference after India clinched a hard-fought five wicket victory over the Netherlands.

"He was bowling more freely today, it was an important game for him.