Perth, Jan 12: Mahendra Singh Dhoni stated here Tuesday after India’s defeat that he never thought both (Ravi) Ashwin and (Ravindra) Jadeja will have an off day together. Ashwin and Jadeja conceded 129 runs in 18 overs and had only two wickets to show for their efforts.
“I had talked about sharing the bowling load before the match. I was then referring to when fast bowlers don’t have a very good day. I never thought it will be the spinners who will have a very bad day and the others will have to share that responsibility,” Dhoni said at the post-match press conference.
“But even saying that, I think the Australian batsmen, both Smith and Bailey batted really well. No taking away the credit from the way they batted. It is not easy chasing down a 300-plus target,” added the Indian skipper.
But while he expressed surprise at the ‘poor show’ by the spinners, Dhoni was all praise for the fast men, especially debutant Barinder Sran.
“The fast bowlers bowled well and gave us a good start with two wickets. Barinder bowled really well,” said Dhoni. “But then you have to remember that this was Sran’s first game. He hit the right areas, but he will have to improve and maintain consistency. However, the good work of our fast bowlers was undone by the spinners.”
Rohit Sharma’s 171 not out also came in for praise as the skipper termed him a player who is always capable of getting big hundreds.
“Whenever a batsman plays a long innings, the most important thing there is how he carries on once he gets to 50 and then how he carries on once he gets to his century. Most of the time when Rohit crosses 100-110, he scores quite big and that’s always good for the team,” Dhoni said. PTI
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