« Back to article

Print this article

Can't run away from the responsibility and quit: Dhoni

One would have expected the Indian captain to be at a loss for words following the home team's humiliating defeat at the hands of England in the Eden Gardens, their second straight reverse (following Wankhede) that left them with no chance of winning the series.

MS Dhoni, to his credit, had got over with his introspection bit and was aware where exactly his team had erred. He had no qualms about admitting the same either.

"We needed to give our bowlers a few more runs," he said, adding, "This one was a good batting wicket.

"We needed something close to 450. Most of our batsmen got starts but failed to convert them into something big.

"Besides, we lost too many wickets in the second innings."

'Batting order will have to take more responsibility'

The captain was palpably critical of his batsmen.

"Nobody could put up the pressure. The effort had to show," he explained, adding, "If you get a start then you have to try to make it big.

"Among the top seven batsmen, three or four have to contribute so that the team can get a big score. A couple of batsmen will fail but the others have to cover that up."

The captain, was at the same time, effusive in his praise for the bowlers. "The bowlers are doing well, especially the spinners," said Dhoni.

"I think the batting order will have to take more responsibility so that there is less pressure on the bowlers," he continued, adding, "The score we put up should be good enough for the bowlers to defend."

'I have to get this team back together'

There's been a lot of criticism about Dhoni's captaincy in recent times, and the defeat at Eden, only gave the critics more fodder to chew on. The man himself though remained defiant.

"It would be the easiest thing for me to quit from the job now," he said, before quickly proceeding to elaborate on his point.

"It's always good to lead a team that is winning," he continued, adding, "However, the challenge is all about doing it when the side is not doing well.

"I can't run away from the responsibility and quit. I have to get this team back together."