By IANS,
London: Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni blamed the bowlers but was still hopeful of a turnaround despite suffering their second consecutive loss against England in the one-day internationals.
Dhoni said his bowlers gave away too many runs in the first 10 overs while defending a small target of 234 here Friday.
“The first 10 overs were crucial. We gave away too many runs. Otherwise spinners would have had a few more runs to play with. It’s not the first time it has happened to us. If the rivals have to chase more than six runs per over, it becomes difficult for them but we gave away too many runs upfront,” said Dhoni.
Dhoni, however, said that the spirit of the team is still high.
“The boys are excited. They want to give more than 100 per cent. When it comes to motivational factor, we are not down and out. Luck at times hasn’t been with us but the morale is high,” he said.
Dhoni said the spinners got less turn after the resumption of play due to rain.
“It was a mixed thing. It gave an advantage that England had only 15 runs less to chase. The disadvantage was that the ball became wet and it affected the turn for the spinners. The fast bowlers were handicapped too as the ball was coming nicely on the bat.”
Dhoni lamented the lack of runs from the top order.
“In our innings, only lower order made runs. As a team, we need to click together. I thought we were 30-40 runs short. We were not able to put par score on the board. The first spell by England bowlers was very good,” he said.
Dhoni, who scored a valuable 69, bailed out the team from a precarious 58-5 with a 112-run stand with Man-of-the-Match Ravindra Jadeja (78). Ravichandran Ashwin also scored crucial a 36 runs.
“Jadeja batted brilliantly. His bowling was always up to the mark. It was his batting which was a concern. He has shown improvement. He showed it in IPL where he could face fast bowlers and yet play big shots. Overall, he looks more complete right now.”
“When Jadeja was dropped, at that time we had Yuvraj Singh who was also bowling left-arm spin. We also had Yusuf Pathan who was a big hitter.
“Ashwin is a thinking cricketer. This was a game where he could show his talent. It was turning a bit and I think he bowled in the right areas. He loves to compete on the field all the time and it’s important,” Dhoni said.
Asked if he could have batted up the order, Dhoni said: “If I bat up the order, it puts more pressure on younger batsmen lower down the order. When I am at number five or six, I can play with the lower half. You need somebody who can chat with the youngsters in the middle and bring in a sense of calmness. Having an experienced man down the order really helps.”