India succumbed to a nine-wicket loss after being bowled out for 153 in 39.3 overs.
England
took a big step forward in their bid to secure a seat in the tri-series
final when they registered their biggest win against India, in terms of
number of balls remaining, at the Gabba in Brisbane. England, who were
asked to field first, made short work of India's target after bowling
them out for a paltry 153 in 39.3 overs.
The lack of partnerships hurt India as England went on to complete a nine-wicket win with 135 balls to spare. But all that has not affected Dhoni's faith in his boys. "Getting off to a good start is important, especially in these conditions. But that doesn't mean that the openers will always have to perform," Dhoni said after the nine-wicket loss.
"This was the same batting lineup that won us the Champions Trophy in England. They are the same batsmen who have put in a lot of effort during the Test series. Irrespective of whether you score runs or not, the effort remains the same. It is important to have confidence in these guys," he said.
Reflecting on his side's loss, the India captainsaid: "What's important is even if you lose early wickets, you need to have partnerships going while keeping enough wickets in hand during the end with a decent run-rate, and accelerate from there. That is the gameplan but we kept losing wickets at regular intervals. We are eating up deliveries to create partnerships but when the time comes to accelerate, we are losing another wicket."
While admitting the team's overall batting failures, Dhoni also stressed on the importance of keeping the faith. He spoke of the toll the Test series must have taken on the batsmen and emphasized on keeping them fresh. A major concern in India's batting has been the lack of runs from Shikhar Dhawan's bat. The opener has scored 2 and 1 in the two ODIs, thus extending his streak of low scores. Dhoni said going out and hitting himself back into form might help the left-hander.
"It is difficult for me to think about how much pressure he [Dhawan] will be under, but the guys, whenever we step out of the subcontinent, they want to score. Because of that they put in a lot more effort. When you put in a lot more effort it actually drains you out. You need a bit of time off and actually, at times, when you have a string of games when you are not scoring, it is best to just go out and express yourself. That's something that Adam Gilchrist used to do very well. When he was slightly out of form he used to play his shots, but when he was out of form he used to play his shots right from the very first ball. Often, that helps. You play two good shots and all of a sudden you're in form. That's something that could work for Shikhar."
The India captain also explained that sending Virat Kohli at No. 4 in both matches instead of coming in at his regular No. 3 was a ploy to add meat to the middle order.
"We have to strengthen the middle and the lower middle order. If early wickets fall, Virat can go in at four with still a lot of time on his hand," he said. "He can create partnerships and hold one end up while we can all look to give him company on the other end."
Explaining Stuart Binny opening the bowling, Dhoni said: "We have to see what the best way to use him is," he said. "Stuart can certainly swing the ball and we wanted to see what he can do with the new ball because that opens up new options for us. Now we know what he can do with the new ball and by the time this tri-series ends we will be exactly sure when and how we want to use him. That clarity of thought will help us while deciding the playing XI."
Dhoni also stressed the need for rejuvenation of the mind and body along with working on their skills.
"We have spent enough time here now to know the conditions. Now it's all about being fresh mentally and physically," he said. "We have a four-day gap before the next match and we will look to use this time to gain that freshness because we have to be here for two more months. There haven't been any signs of the fatigue yet, but it is wise to device a coping system before the symptoms are evident."
The lack of partnerships hurt India as England went on to complete a nine-wicket win with 135 balls to spare. But all that has not affected Dhoni's faith in his boys. "Getting off to a good start is important, especially in these conditions. But that doesn't mean that the openers will always have to perform," Dhoni said after the nine-wicket loss.
"This was the same batting lineup that won us the Champions Trophy in England. They are the same batsmen who have put in a lot of effort during the Test series. Irrespective of whether you score runs or not, the effort remains the same. It is important to have confidence in these guys," he said.
Reflecting on his side's loss, the India captainsaid: "What's important is even if you lose early wickets, you need to have partnerships going while keeping enough wickets in hand during the end with a decent run-rate, and accelerate from there. That is the gameplan but we kept losing wickets at regular intervals. We are eating up deliveries to create partnerships but when the time comes to accelerate, we are losing another wicket."
While admitting the team's overall batting failures, Dhoni also stressed on the importance of keeping the faith. He spoke of the toll the Test series must have taken on the batsmen and emphasized on keeping them fresh. A major concern in India's batting has been the lack of runs from Shikhar Dhawan's bat. The opener has scored 2 and 1 in the two ODIs, thus extending his streak of low scores. Dhoni said going out and hitting himself back into form might help the left-hander.
"It is difficult for me to think about how much pressure he [Dhawan] will be under, but the guys, whenever we step out of the subcontinent, they want to score. Because of that they put in a lot more effort. When you put in a lot more effort it actually drains you out. You need a bit of time off and actually, at times, when you have a string of games when you are not scoring, it is best to just go out and express yourself. That's something that Adam Gilchrist used to do very well. When he was slightly out of form he used to play his shots, but when he was out of form he used to play his shots right from the very first ball. Often, that helps. You play two good shots and all of a sudden you're in form. That's something that could work for Shikhar."
The India captain also explained that sending Virat Kohli at No. 4 in both matches instead of coming in at his regular No. 3 was a ploy to add meat to the middle order.
"We have to strengthen the middle and the lower middle order. If early wickets fall, Virat can go in at four with still a lot of time on his hand," he said. "He can create partnerships and hold one end up while we can all look to give him company on the other end."
Explaining Stuart Binny opening the bowling, Dhoni said: "We have to see what the best way to use him is," he said. "Stuart can certainly swing the ball and we wanted to see what he can do with the new ball because that opens up new options for us. Now we know what he can do with the new ball and by the time this tri-series ends we will be exactly sure when and how we want to use him. That clarity of thought will help us while deciding the playing XI."
Dhoni also stressed the need for rejuvenation of the mind and body along with working on their skills.
"We have spent enough time here now to know the conditions. Now it's all about being fresh mentally and physically," he said. "We have a four-day gap before the next match and we will look to use this time to gain that freshness because we have to be here for two more months. There haven't been any signs of the fatigue yet, but it is wise to device a coping system before the symptoms are evident."
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