MS Dhoni scored only two runs in the first T20I against Sri Lanka.
©REUTERS / Action Images
<
>
MS Dhoni blames Pune pitch for defeat against Sri Lanka
Indian captain MS Dhoni was critical of the pitch used for the first Twenty20 International against Sri Lanka in Pune which his team went on to lose by five wickets.
After made to bat first by Sri Lanka, India got bundled out for 101 in 18 overs with Ravichandran Ashwin top scoring in the innings with an unbeaten 31.
Debutant Kasun Rajitha (3-29) troubled the Indian batsmen with pace while Dasun Shanaka (3-16) was accurate with his swing bowling as the Indian batsmen looked clueless.
Describing that the pitch had a lot of similarity to the English conditions, Dhoni believes the spongy bounce in the wicket made life difficult for the batsmen.
"The wicket was completely different to what we have been playing in the last one month (in Australia).
“It was more like an English wicket. There was spongy bounce, and variable pace.
“The wicket was also not rolled properly.
“Looking at the wicket, we should not have played a few big shots that we played," Dhoni said after the conclusion of the game.
Despite getting bowled out for 101, the Indian bowlers produced a valiant fight dismissing five of the Sri Lankan batsmen and stretching the game to 18 overs.
The Indian captain admitted that even though the team remained confident of defending the total, an additional 25-30 runs could have made the difference in the game.
"This was not a 160 wicket. This was more of a 135-140 kind of wicket because there was some help for the fast bowlers.
“Our shot selection should have been better. Looking at the positives, everybody got a chance to bat today.
“The bowlers did really well and another 25 runs could have made it interesting.
“When we went there to field, we believed that we can try hard to defend a small total.”
The second T20I between these two teams will be played in Ranchi on 12th February.
© Cricket World 2016
Surprising Facts About India’s Cricket Team
22 May 2023
.jpg "Afghanistan to Tour Sri Lanka for a White-ball Series in Early June")
