It’s my job to regroup the team: MS Dhoni

Picked by many as the favorites for the tournament, MS Dhoni and co came crashing back to earth with a demoralizing defeat at the hands of New Zealand. Having been bowled out for a paltry 79, the Kiwis thrashed the hosts at their own game. With the Indians crashing down as hard as they did following the 47 run loss to New Zealand, MS Dhoni said that it was time for the Indians to regroup. He also mentioned that it was his job to get his soldiers in line following the demoralizing defeat.

“I think that’s what my job is [to regroup the team]. It didn’t go as we wanted it to go. That’s the time when everybody needs to pitch in,” the skipper, who tried his bit with a 30-ball 30 but in vain, said.

Dhoni added that the victory margin will certainly not be something heavy on the minds of the Indian players. However, he also underlined by stating that a strong statement had to be made the following match. Dhoni underlined the importance of coming back strong following a demoralizing defeat.

“But I don’t think it will be a big factor,” he continued. “The reason being, what I always tell the boys is ‘you have to see what kind of cricket you are playing, what’s the mistake you committed in the game rather than thinking we scored only 80 runs or 90 runs.

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“What’s important is how to turn around and how to come back strong. I think this team has done it plenty of times, right from the last World Cup that we played. It’s something that this team has shown the character to come back after, you can say, after a bad defeat. I don’t think I will have to work too hard [to lift the team].”

Although it was clear, MS Dhoni reiterated that the poor batting performance was perhaps what let them down. He also mentioned the pressure of batting in the middle-order with wickets falling in heaps as they did.

“They bowled well, but I think it was more soft dismissals than good deliveries [which cost us]…I think it was lack of application,” he said, before pinpointing the lack of partnerships.

“”I think every alternate over we lost one wicket. It becomes more and more difficult once the top order gets outs. The batsmen who come in, let’s talk about No. 5, 6 or 7, they have that pressure of extra wicket falling. It seems [to them] as if the wicket is becoming very difficult.

Dhoni also stated the importance of partnerships, something his side lacked as they took the field against the Kiwis.

“What’s important at that time is to get some kind of partnership going, even if it’s not big in terms of runs scored. It just gives that calmness to the dressing room and the batsman who is coming afterwards,” he said.

“May be what hits in the head is only a sporting wicket,” he said in front of a few raised eyebrows.

“I think it’s [a spinning track] as sporting as some of the other wickets. It’s just that often people talk about spinning wickets are not sporting wickets, it’s only the seaming wickets that are sporting.”