Though his war with the media had calmed down, Mahendra Singh Dhoni would have loved to come to the post-match press conference at Lord's last night with a winning smile.
Though his war with the media had calmed down, Mahendra Singh Dhoni would have loved to come to the post-match press conference at Lord's last night with a winning smile.
Instead, the India captain had to face probing questions from the press, whom he locked horns with after the warm-up match against Pakistan over the injury to Virender Sehwag.
Here's what Dhoni spoke at the post-match Press conference after the three-run defeat to England yesterday.
We own upWe stand up and say we didn't perform well as a team and that's the reason we didn't perform in the World Twenty20.
No excuses
We stopped them at a decent score and when your intentions are to chase with strength in your batting order, it's very disappointing to lose. So we don't have a practical excuse. Our performance was not really up to the mark.u00a0
Jadeja to stabilise What we expected was Jadeja plays a few overs and stabilises the innings and then we could go after their bowling. If there was a decent partnership, Yuvraj could have walked in around the eight-over mark and go after the bowlers. They bowled the slower short ball with the deep midwicket and fine leg and even if he is a good puller, as seen in the IPL, he couldn't do much. Yes, the run rate climbed from there and the momentum shifted to their side.
Too late The timing of the wickets really was crucial. We had big hitters like myself, Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan and Harbhajan Singh but the asking rate climbed. By the time Yusuf and me came together, it was too late. The ball was reversing and it was difficult for Yusuf to hit.
More upset than fansWe understand fans are upset but we can say that we are more upset than them, although we understand their emotions.
Fitness, not an issue
It is difficult to be on the road constantly but fitness is not an issue. If a cricketer says he didn't perform due to exhaustion, it is a lame excuse. It is demanding cricket but I believe the more cricket you play, the better you get.
Waiting for a break
I've adapted as a batsman depending on the situation. I'm batting more at No 5, 6, 7 and my game is suited for those positions compared to No 3 where I batted when I started playing cricket.
But there has been a significant change in my batting. It is an area I need to work on.
The break after the West Indies series really gives me time to think about the change needed. In the absence of an off-season, you carry on with what you are doing.
