Dhoni blames top-order failure, tactical mistakes

Dhaka: Mahendra Singh Dhoni said that the top-order's failure to build solid partnerships was the main reason for the 25-run loss to Pakistan in the ODI tri-series final. The Indian skipper admitted that he too had committed a couple of tactical mistakes. Full Scorecard

In his post-match analysis, Dhoni said the 315-run target set by Pakistan on Saturday night would not have been much of a challenge had his top-order played sensibly.

"We lost wickets at regular intervals. It is very important to see yourself in the last five or seven overs, if you have wickets in hand. If you see the wicket, it was a flat wicket," he said.

"Even 300-odd is really chase-able if you have wickets in hand. They were 100 for one in 25 runs and that went against our bowlers.

Gavaskar on a staggering deal | Howzzat! Rani takes cricketing lessons

"They played some good shots and that really put the bowlers under pressure. We did not get a good start. Losing wickets at regular intervals was the killer," he added.

Dhoni admitted that sending Suresh Raina up the order instead of walking out himself was a mistake but that alone cannot be considered the reason for the defeat.

Pakistan beat India by 25 runs in tri-series final | Stats: Chawla sets a dubious record

"It was a mistake. I should have come ahead of Raina. Having made that mistake, I cannot really help it now. That decision was taken in a positive frame of mind. If Yuvraj would have played through and Raina would have rotated the strike better instead of taking singles when Yuvraj was batting, that would have put us in a comfortable position at the end of the 40th over. With me, Irfan and couple of other guys due to come in, it would have been an easy target (from there) But as I said we kept losing wickets. We never really looked in to accelerate and we lost wickets. That weakened our chances," Dhoni said.

The skipper also conceded that his field placements could have been better when Salman Butt and Younis Khan turned it on in the Pakistan innings.

"Well, he (Butt) was scoring through square leg and sweeping towards square leg. Most of times, he cleared the boundary picking the ball from outside the off-stump as well. He took on the bowlers and he was successful more often than not and that really put bowlers under pressure," he explained.

The stumper said the Pakistanis used the field to their advantage, but the Indians were guilty of playing extravagant shots at a time when caution and restraint were needed.

"More often than not, we ended up hitting to the fielder. If you see, each time the fielder never had to move to take the catch. You can say that selection of shots was not appropriate but at the same time you have to play your shots as well because you are chasing over six runs an over. We never had the momentum with us," he said.

On Pakistan's performance, Dhoni said, "They were 100 for one in 25 overs and then see how much they scored in the last 25 overs. They put loads of pressure. They are learning from each match. We win some and we lose some matches."

Dhoni defended the decision to send all-rounder Yusuf Pathan up the order but admitted that the youngster may not have been prepared to handle the pressure in his debut series.

”Yusuf is one of the batsmen who can actually go after the bowlers. He can utilise the field restrictions in the last seven overs. That was the motto. Even if he gets out, you do not lose too many deliveries. If he clicks, it really helps the side. Capitalising the last seven overs was the reason why he was sent at number four," Dhoni said.

Gilchrist amazed by love for cricket in India | A Test at last after 35 long years!

Meanwhile, Dhoni's opposite number Shoaib Malik, who was under pressure to deliver after a scathing e-mail from Board President Nasim Ashraf lambasted the team's showing in the league match against India, was all praise for the two centurions Butt and Younis.

"The way Younis and Salman batted that was the turning point of the match. I think on this kind of track if you score 300, it's difficult to get. I think that’s what happened," he said.

Malik said such was the pressure on his team that they were not sure of victory even when India were nine down as Dhoni still occupied the crease.

"When we had them nine down, (MS) Dhoni was still out there, so we were not thinking that we had the match. We know India have a great depth in batting and the way they bat with left-right combination, it was always going to be difficult for us to defend the target.

"At some stage, when they had lost five wickets, they were still going at 5-6 runs per over, so it was pretty tough," he said.