Srikkanth defends Dhoni's captaincy, blames batsmen

CHENNAI: Chief selector Kris Srikkanth on Saturday said the two consecutive Test defeats in Australia has a lot do with poor batting rather than Mahendra Singh Dhoni's captaincy which has come under sharp criticism.

"Our batting didn't click as a unit. It is a bit surprising as we were confident of a good show in Australia. But we must admit that Australia have played better cricket than us. There is no point trying to find excuses and we need to move on," Srikkanth said.

Asked about Dhoni's captaincy which has been criticised by former greats like Ian Chappell and Wasim Akram, Srikkanth said it would be unfair to single out his captaincy for the poor performance.

"Look, when you lose you can cite any reason. But Dhoni has been honest enough in not giving any excuses. In fact he has rightly admitted that our batting has not clicked, it has clicked only in patches.

"This is the best team we have at the moment. Also there are no injuries. I believe each and every member has accepted that Australia is playing better cricket," the former India captain said.

When asked to pinpoint the exact problem area, he said the failure of the batsmen to get big scores has played a part in the defeats.

"In South Africa, when we drew the Test series, atleast one of our batsmen went on to score a big hundred. Here our batsmen have got to half centuries but didn't get a big score. Test cricket provides you with few opportunities but one needs to grab them when they come your way."

Srikkanth felt that India had their moments and should have won the Melbourne Test match.

"We were 211 for two and we lost it from there. We had Sehwag, Dravid and Tendulkar playing well but then no one got a big score. When you lose the first Test, automatically, there is a lot of pressure on you. Now one should try and do well in the Perth Test. We have won in Perth last time and we should try and do well there," he added.