BRISBANE : All is not well in the Indian dressing room right now with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni revealing that there was some “unrest” resulting from “lack of communication” with the in-form Virat Kohli before today’s batting collapse in the lost second cricket Test against Australia here.
India lost the match by four wickets after being bowled out for a mere 224 in their second innings which left a paltry target of 128 for Australia to chase.
The drama inside the dressing room was triggered by overnight unbeaten batsman Shikhar Dhawan injuring his elbow during a practice session but revealing the extent of discomfort just before the day’s play was to start.
The Indians had to send Virat Kohli ahead of him but the batsman was informed of the change less than seven minutes before the visitors took the field.
“The first session today was a big debacle for us. There was a lack of communication in our dressing room over whether Shikhar will go into bat or Virat. We did not handle that situation well,” Dhoni said at the post-match presentation.
“We were having a bat at the nets, the wickets were not very good and he (Shikhar) got hit. He didn’t react too badly at that time so we thought he was fine to bat. But by the time he came in, he was in a lot of pain and unable to bat. We were only able to give Virat 5-7 minutes to prepare and that created some unrest in the dressing room,” he revealed.
At a loss of words to explain his team’s shambolic performance, given that it lost the match with more than a day to spare, Dhoni praised the opposition.
“I think Mitchell (Johnson) batted really well. Once you get close to the new ball, the ball goes soft and the bowlers get tired. He played his shots and he was a little lucky too. Nothing went to the fielders and he was able to score. It was one of those days when nothing went right for us,” Dhoni said about the third day’s play during which Johnson played a key role for Australia with an 88-run knock.
Despite back-to-back losses, Dhoni said he was happy with the team’s performance.
“I’m pretty happy with how we have played. We have shortcomings but I’m happy how the bowlers have shaped up. We have tried both five bowlers and an extra batsman, but neither has really grabbed the opportunity. But they are a talented side and they have self-belief,” he said.
His Australian counterpart, Steve Smith, who was also named Man of the Match for scoring a hundred on his debut as captain, was elated with the result, calling it “extremely satisfying”.
“The boys played some very good cricket the last four days and it’s very satisfying to come out with a win. First day was very tough, the boys were dropping like flies. Credit to how they came out and bowled on the second morning. The first innings runs are crucial here and getting a lead of 90 was handy,” he said.
Smith lavished praise on pacer Josh Hazlewood, who took a five-wicket haul on debut.
“Josh Hazlewood is an outstanding bowler and he’s started extremely well for Australia and Mitchell Johnson, Mr. Reliable, as always,” he said.
In lighter vein, Smith said it was not such a bright idea for the Indians to have sledged Johnson.
“I don’t think it was advisable and that partnership really set the game up for us. It’s always tough playing against India, they’ve played some extremely good cricket and we just won the important moments,” he said. (AGENCIES)
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