Difficult for the bowlers to get into the groove after the Test series: MS Dhoni

India lost the first T20 international of the 2-match series by one run as the captain MS Dhoni failed to finish off the innings when India needed 2 on the last ball of the match. However, he is happy with the way his batsmen played as they were on their way to chase down the mammoth target of 246.

“There were lots of positives in the game – the way we chased down 245. Apart from the last ball, we were in the game throughout. The thought was right, the execution was not,” Dhoni said.

Lokesh Rahul has been at his consistent best in the last 6 months and he transformed his good run across formats. He was unbeaten on 110 at the end of the game and thereby became the third Indian batsman to score centuries in all the three formats of the game.

“He has been very consistent. I feel that is a strength of Rahul also, compact player but at the same time unorthodox shots. He plays all over the ground, over covers, mid off, mid on. So a complete cricketer. Of course, there’s a long way to go for him but the way he has played in the last six months, it’s very encouraging to see him bat,” Captain Cool said praising KL Rahul.

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India is coming on the back of a 4-match Test series from West Indies and Dhoni said that it was hard for the bowlers to adapt to the shortest format on a batting paradise. “The demands on the players were too high. Getting back from the Test format, it is difficult to get into the groove of the shortest format. From bowling consistent line and length, you’re suddenly asked to bowl yorkers.”

“I don’t take things emotionally, but overall it was a game we almost won. We need to cut down on the runs given away in the first 6 overs. That is when we gave away too many runs, I was very happy with how we brought it back in the last 8 overs,” he added.

However, Team India will back themselves to win the second match today since they now have a better idea of how the pitch behaves. “It is difficult for bowlers on batting paradises such as this. One needs to assess the situation and change one’s bowling accordingly. There were more sixes than fours in the game. The bowlers who gave away the fewer sixes ended up on the winning side,” he pointed out on a match which saw 21 sixes from the Windies and 11 sixes by the Indians.

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MS Dhoni also praised his former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) teammate Dwayne Bravo on his incredible ability to deliver under pressure. “Bravo is one of the best when it comes to death bowling. He has a lot of experience too, which counts in these situations. You have to be on the look out for what he going to bowl and according to that you have to play your shots,” he concluded.