The bounce was very uneven at Lord's, says Dhoni

By Ashish Shukla
London, Jul 25 (PTI) Regretting the loss of key players
to injuries midway through the match, India captain Mahendra
Singh Dhoni Monday criticised the "variable bounce" at the
Lord's pitch after his team's defeat in the first Test against
England here.
"What we saw different from the 2007 series this time was
the variable bounce. It became tough. In 2007, there was much
more bounce but it was even too. It was interesting to see
where I was standing as a keeper then. Zaheer bowls his overs
from where I stand, and I used to do so by being 2-3 yards
behind in 2007. Here I was standing 2-3 yards in front," Dhoni
said.
"It had an impact. In 2007 you could leave the
deliveries. Here the bounce was very uneven. You couldn't
leave each delivery because a few balls really kept low and
never really carried. You had to look to play each delivery
and when it bounced it was difficult."
What also prevented India from playing to their full
potential were injuries to key players.
"Everything (that) could have gone wrong, went wrong. It
was tough for batsmen to bat at different slots, it was tough
for bowlers with only three left (in Zaheer Khan's absence),"
said Dhoni.
"Zaheer's absence made it tough to manage bowlers. With
just three bowlers left and the ball not turning that much, we
didn't have too many options... our resources were limited.
"As for batters, it was difficult for them to bat at
different slots they are not used to. Dravid, Gambhir and
Sachin all had added pressure of not batting at their usual
slots."
Due to Gambhir's injury, Dravid came out as an opener in
the second innings. Tendulkar, because of his viral infection,
could only bat at number five.

Talking about Zaheer, who left the field on the first
morning itself due to a hamstring strain, Dhoni said the
seamer's absence was felt.
"In Zaheer's absence, it became tough to manager three
bowlers. We didn't have too many options. If we had one extra
bowler, things could have been different.
"We have three days (before the second Test). I am not
100 per cent sure if he would play. We don't want to risk an
individual. There is a lot of cricket we are playing and there
is no point in risking a guy for just a game."
Asked to explain why Zaheer's fitness was not checked in
time, Dhoni said: "Hamstring injury is a difficult one — a
fast bowler doesn't have to bowl to get such an injury. He
could be running after the ball and still get injured."
Most of India's top order batsmen seemed to have got out
playing rash shots, but Dhoni didn't think so.
"You have your own game plan. When you play a shot, if it
doesn't succeed, it might appear a rash stroke. But every
batsman has his own game plan."
Asked about Sachin Tendulkar and his recovery from viral
infection, the skipper said: "He was much better but not 100
per cent. He felt it in both innings. After his first knock,
he was feeling quite weak. I haven't asked him but he must
have been disappointed. He always gets disappointed when he
doesn't score."
Dhoni, who is yet to lose a series, was upbeat about his
team's performance in the forthcoming Tests.
"There is a lot of Test cricket left in the series.
Batters and bowlers will improve as the series progresses."
The skipper was all praise for England pacer Stuart Broad
and wicketkeeper-batsman Matt Prior.
"He bowled the right length and up to the batsmen and
made them to drive. His knock was also a great help and just
shows what a good performer he is. As for Prior, he had a good
partnership going and it changed the complexion of the game."