Dhoni blames top-order for defeat by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

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Player:	MS Dhoni
Event:	Australia in India 2009/10

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DateLine: 26th October 2009

 

Losing too many wickets in the batting powerplay cost India the ODI series opener against Australia, home team skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni lamented on Sunday.

 

"We lost too many wickets during the powerplay which was the turning point. We lost Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, myself and Ravindra Jadeja. Full credit to Harbhajan Singh and Praveen Kumar for bringing us so close to the target," said Dhoni after the hosts' narrow four-run loss.

 

Dhoni said the strategy when he and Gambhir, who top scored with 68, were batting was to reach 150 around the 30th over.

 

"But we lost wickets during powerplays, too many in fact. That was the turning point," he said.

 

Dhoni also blamed his top-order batting for failing to click as a unit.

 

"We had only one (Gambhir) making a 50. If we had one player making a big hundred, things would have been easier. Otherwise we needed one century partnership and at least one or two over 75. That did not happen," he rued.

 

Dhoni backed his bowlers, including Harbhajan, but felt they could have done better at death.

 

"The fast bowlers bowled very well in the first 15 overs. We need some work to do at the death, no doubt. The spinners too cannot be blamed as there's a big difference bowling first when you don't get much help and bowling second when there are footmarks to take advantage of," he explained.