India says game plan didn't work after Australia beat them in one-day thriller
Vadodara (Gujarat):
World champions Australia kept their cool in the last over to beat India
by four runs in a thrilling one-day international on Sunday. Addressing reporters
during a post-match news conference, Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, said that India
was unable to capitalise on Powerplay. "I think the partnership between Gautam
and Virat was good for us, unfortunately we lost Virat. Our game plan of capitalising
Powerplay and after carrying the momentum in last few over didn't work. First
we lost Gautam, then Raina and me. I think in the Powerplay we lost too many wickets,"
he added. Dhoni also praised pacer Ishant Sharma who took three wickets for 50
runs in his spell. "You don't always get four or five wickets or as a batsman
you don't always score by 100 or 50's, it is a part and parcel of Cricket. I thought
he (Ishant Sharma) bowled very well and he was bowling in the right direction,"
Dhoni said. India needed nine off the last over from Peter Siddle but the paceman
bowled accurately, conceding just four runs and clean bowling Harbhajan. Rival
skipper Ricky Ponting said a lot of valuable lessons were learnt from the match.
"It was a great play, but as I say a few of guys that there are lessons to be
learnt from every game that we play, even though we win and then most things went
right during the course of the game...I think some of our players learnt some
good lessons at the end of the game.... it was a tough contest but we got across
the line and I am pretty excited about that," said Ponting, Australian skipper.