Dhoni defends decision, blames inconsistent batting for defeat

Tapan Mohanta
Guwahati, Nov 8 (PTI) India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Sunday defended his debatable decision to bat first in the
sixth ODI against Australia and blamed the team's inconsistent
batting for their series defeat.

India badly needed to win Sunday's match to stay afloat
in the seven-match series but Dhoni's gamble to bat first on a
tricky track boomeranged and India slumped to 27 for five in
nine overs and could never recover from there.
Blaming the batsmen for not applying them enough, Dhoni
said it was just a matter of seeing through the first half an
hour which the hosts failed to do.
"The pitch didn't misbehave in any way though there was a
bit of movement for the fast bowlers early on. I said at the
toss also that the first half-an-hour would be crucial and if
we negotiate that we could set the total that we had in mind,"
a dejected Dhoni told reporters after the match.
Dhoni said he decided to bat first because the wicket had
enough for the Indian spinners.
"Ground conditions and outfield were good. Of the wicket,
I think it played superbly well. I think it was for the
spinners more than the seam bowlers," he said. More PTI TAP
ANU


The information contained in this electronic message and any attachments to this
message are intended for the exclusive
use of the addressee(s) and may contain proprietary, confidential or privileged
information. If you are not the intended
recipient, you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. Please
notify the sender immediately and destroy
all copies of this message and any attachments contained in it.