‘I needed to stay out there for longer’

Dhoni content with improved batting but disappointed by narrow loss.

India’s batting showed a marked improvement but, according to captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, his presence in the middle for longer would have taken the hosts past England’s total in the opening One-Day International on Friday.

“We got off to a very good start and almost every batsman got runs,” said Dhoni, according to The Times of India. “I was happy with the way we batted. It was important to keep wickets in hand because we knew the last 10 overs would be crucial in the sense that with five fielders inside, you can really put pressure on the bowlers. But that didn’t happen. I think that if I had batted two more overs, the game would have changed.”

Dhoni agreed his side’s bowling was a bigger cause of concern than batting.

“I knew it was going to be about the bowlers. We gave too many runs in the last few overs.”

Meanwhile, England captain Alastair Cook said he was confident about man-of-the-match James Tredwell’s abilities and was hardly worried when India got off to a decent start.

“We know what Tredders (Tredwell) does,” said Cook. “To get four from a flat pitch like that is a brilliant effort.”

However, the victory for England has not altered Cook’s pre-series view that India are favourites.

“I think we’re still clear underdogs just because of the fact that this is India’s home conditions and they’re strong at home.”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 13^th, 2013.