Southampton: Handed another demoralising defeat by England on a miserable tour, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni blamed the injury crisis that has hit his side, saying that all his plans fall apart due to the lack of options at his disposal.
India went down by seven wickets in the rain-curtailed second ODI and Dhoni said the bowling left a lot to be desired given that the batsmen had done a decent job by posting 187 in the 23-overs-a-side game.
“The bowling department needs to step up a bit. Speed is not the strength of our bowlers, but it didn’t swing Tuesday. Also the variations in pace were not possible because the outfield was wet and the ball came on to the bat nicely,” Dhoni said.
“It is becoming difficult to manoeuvre them around with just two bowlers... When the frontline bowlers go for runs, it becomes difficult. I tried Ashwin, hoping he could upset their scoring, but even he went for runs. The first five overs didn’t work out for us,” he added.
“Our fast bowlers are not deceptively quick. They are between the 128-132mph speed… If it is not swinging, it’s difficult and a bit tough on them.”
The absence of Yuvraj Singh, who performed the duties of the fifth bowler during the World Cup so successfully, has hurt India severely.
Yuvraj’s canny change of pace and an aggressive line of attack not only restricted the batsmen from scoring freely but also fetched key wickets. His all-round performance played a huge role in India clinching the Cup.
Dhoni said that was the difference in the two defeats, first in the Twenty20 at Old Trafford and now at Rose Bowl.
But with Yuvraj out of the series due to injury, and a part-timer like Ravindra Jadeja missing the match due to visa issues that delayed his arrival, India have been forced to rely on Raina and Kohli for some overs.
Their four overs cost 35 runs on Tuesday and Dhoni was satisfied with that considering the assault the England openers meted out in the first ten overs.
Indians stuck to their policy of playing with seven batters even when it meant that Manoj Tiwary was almost straightaway drafted into the playing XI literally after stepping out of the aircraft.
“Our lower order batters can’t score big against this bowling attack... Without six batters it becomes quite difficult to score runs. So if it is a low score, even five bowlers can’t defend it.
“I thought 187 was a good score... But once they got 60 in first five overs, and 100 in the first 10, they never really had to take any risk.”
Dhoni once again rued the injuries that have had a disastrous effect on his team’s performances.
“Injuries have been a big concern. We have lost nine players and almost all of them feature in the first eleven.”
The injury nightmare, however, wouldn’t extend to young Ajinkya Rahane who batted with a runner during his knock of 54.
“He felt a twist in his leg while turning… It’s a bit of inflammation, but as of now, he wouldn’t miss the next game.”
