The Hindu : Sport : We misread the wicket: Dhoni

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We misread the wicket: Dhoni

Special Correspondent

Dambulla: Misjudgement of the playing strip and the ongoing difficulty in picking Ajantha Mendis cost India the first ODI here at the Rangiri Dambulla Stadium, said captain M.S. Dhoni on Monday.“To start with, we misread the wicket a bit,” said Dhoni after the eight-wicket defeat.

“We did not think it would seam or swing that much. Since the breeze was strong, we expected it to swing throughout the day which it did. There was a fair bit in the wicket to start off.

“The Sri Lankan bowlers bowled really well. They got the first two batsmen out, it was not like the batsmen played bad shots and got out. Credit goes to their fast bowlers, they got wickets. Later on, Mendis applied the pressure. You can’t play catch-up when you lose so many early wickets.”

Elaborating on the mystery spinner, Dhoni said, “It’s difficult to pick him. He is a very unusual bowler. Even if you pick him, by the time you realise what ball it is, it gets really late to play a big shot. The only option right now is to play more and more of him, that’s the only way of getting better.”

Mahela Jayawardene, asked what problems he had when he first played Mendis in the nets, said, “I still have problems playing him”.

Important win

The Sri Lankan captain said it was important to start the series with a win. “I thought we bowled pretty well and kept a lot of pressure on the Indian batsmen,” said Jayawardene. “It wasn’t an easy wicket even when we were batting, but we managed to get through which is the most important.”Would he have bowled first? “I would have still batted knowing the first 45 minutes is tough. If they had gotten through that period and got 225 on the board it would have been a much tougher score to chase down than this. With the new ball it’s always going to do a bit.

And there was seam movement when we were batting as well. It was a very good one-day wicket.”Asked about his unbeaten half-century, which secured the win, Jayawardene said, “I’m happy that I managed to finish the game off, that’s the important thing. The Indian fast bowlers came strong at us.

“When I was batting with Kumar (Sangakkara), he said the same thing, ‘let’s bat 15-20 overs, that’s crucial’. Unfortunately Kumar got out but I thought Kapu (Chamara Kapugedera) batted really well. It’s important that we consistently build partnerships. That’s where the difference will be.”

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