Dhoni rues batting collapse

MS Dhoni has admitted that the inability of his batsmen to play the full fifty overs has resulted in the loss against South Africa.

“We act on a certain plan. If it is successful then it’s good, but if it does not work then its bad. We got to move on and pick things which make us better,” India captain MS Dhoni said after the loss against South Africa in a rather reflective mood.

Probed by the media batting collapse after Sachin Tendulkar’s century and Yusuf Pathan’s performance up the order, MS Dhoni said, “Yes, we could have got 30-40 runs more on the board. But that doesn’t mean than I am disappointed with Yusuf Pathan’s performance. He is fulfilling his responsibility and so does every one. I have often said that disappointment and appreciation go hand in hand.”

Criticizing team’s inability to last through the innings, India captain said, “Yes of course it’s disappointing, especially if you fail to bat fifty overs. The more you bat the more runs you get. But we know that we have some flamboyant players in the team, who have done well in the past. Simply speaking, today was not our day.”

On India’s inability to stop the runs during closing stages, India captain accepted that fielding was one of the major differences between the two teams.

“I think it (Vidarbha Cricket Association ground) is one of the biggest grounds in India and hence we were exposed in the fielding department. Fielding was the basic difference between the two side,” Dhoni said.

MS Dhoni, who a day before had backed leg spinner Piyush Chawla said that he did not think that the wicket would have provided ideal platform for him.

“I think we went with three seamers after considering the pitch. It was not turning like it might turn in Chennai, where we play the next game. Ashish Nehra and Munaf Patel need some practice before the knock-out stages. It’s good that most of our talent has gone under some sorth of test now.”

India’s downfall started after they took the batting power play which saw them lose four wickets without disturbing the scorers much.

“Often we see that teams take batting power play in order to increase the run rate and while doing so end up being 30-40 runs short of the normal target they would have achieved. We also could not capitalize on it but it is a lesson learnt,” skipper added.

MS Dhoni however refused to read too much in the loss.

“It’s a big tournament and definitely all is not over. I would say it is never over till its over,” Dhoni concluded with a rather promising note.

On the other hand his South Africa counterpart Graeme Smith painted a picture of tremendous confidence.

“I'am delighted and so is the whole team. The guys showed massive improvement. We pounced on our moments. The way Dale (Steyn) bowled was tremendous. And I must say that chasing almost 300 in the second innings was a hell of an effort from the guys and I think we're all pretty speechless.

"Winning and losing in the last two games, there have been some massive lessons for a lot of our guys. But the confidence that you get out of a win like this is huge,” Smith signed off.