India suffered a humiliating whitewash in both Test and One-Day series in their disastrous England tour but captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said that injury to several key team members played a huge part in the debacle. “I have not seen so many injuries in the last five years. To see 9-11 players get injured in one series has been shocking. In the ODI series we also did not have luck,” he said at the press conference after India lost the fifth and final ODI by six wickets in Cardiff.
“If you look at the first two Tests, we were left with three bowlers. If your bowling starts looking weak, the pressure piles up on batsmen. You cannot carry a team consistently on just one department. “If Zaheer was there in the first Test and we could have pressed advantage in the second innings instead of relying on part-timers. It could have looked different. But it’s important what we did. There is no point in sulking,” Dhoni said. Dhoni, however, said that his side would not be thinking for revenge when England tour India next month to play five one-day matches. “You should not have such a feeling. If you have revenge in your mind, you become desperate and start putting pressure on the whole side. It’s better to stick to basics,” he said. “We also would have to see how many of the 9-11 players who are injured are now fit and have played some matches. We have to see who all are available for selection.”
Asked if he thought injured players should straightaway be allowed to get back into the side without having a few matches under their belt, he said, “It’s tough. We have to exactly see what kind of injury it is. “It is good if someone has some matches under his belt. But it’s difficult because you need experience in a line-up. You try to balance it. You don’t want your bowling department to look completely fresh.”
Dhoni blamed the conditions and injury to Munaf Patel as the reason for India’s six-wicket defeat in the fifth and final match here. “To have Munaf injured after four overs, broke the rhythm of our bowling. The ball was also getting very wet. This was the fifth time we lost the toss and it became very difficult for spinners,” he reasoned.
The Indian captain underlined the point that the practice games should not be an official fixture where only 11 players can play. Flexibility with numbers of players who can play is important for practice games. “We were not able to use practice games in best possible manner. The first game was official and we could not play more than 11 players. Just before a Test match, the players had to be on the field for 90 overs. The second practice game was the same,” he said.
“We will make sure there is an MoU in place that practice games should be just practice games. You should be able to play more than 12 players. If I am asked to play an official game, I would prefer playing a Test match than these practice games,” he added. Dhoni held a high view of the present England side but was not prepared to concede they were the current best side in the world.
“England are a very good side, irrespective of the format they are playing. As they play more and more cricket, they would get only better. But it’s difficult to say if they are the best side. The top 3-4 sides are all good. They are among the best sides. “In sub-continent, it might be different but they can still get the reverse swing to control the batsmen. England’s batting line up also looks settled. Broad and Bresnan can not only bowl fast and quick but they can also bat which means England bats very deep,” he said.
Despite playing without a break for a long time, Dhoni gave the hint that he could be turning out in the Champions League Twenty20 rather than take a break. “There are four games to be played at the league stage in 10 days. We will see how I stand before the start of the Champions League Twenty20. Next 3-4 days will be complete rest. Our first game is on 24th. I am hoping my fitness does not get worse.” Asked about the Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Aamir admitting to spot-fixing, Dhoni said, “It’s something seriously wrong. People might talk about forgiveness but for me match-fixing and spot-fixing is going against the nation. It’s my personal view.”
