Dhoni on India’s series loss in England: “Team missed out on playing practice matches”

Dhoni on India’s series loss in England: Mahendra Singh Dhoni blamed India missing out on practice matches as the reason behind defeat.

MS Dhoni, former India captain and current wicket-keeper batsman, was seen being vocal on the reason behind India’s defeat in recently concluded Pataudi Trophy against England. India ended up losing the five-match series 1-4.

Interacting with the media at a motivational program with the CISF at the Birsa Munda Airport, Ranchi, Dhoni was quoted, “Indian team missed out on playing practices matches before the series, which is why the batsmen are finding it difficult to adjust. This is a part of game. We shouldn’t forget that India is currently No. 1 in the rankings.”

India had faced a similar issue in South Africa earlier this year when they opted to not play any practice match. Having played one in England, the batsmen failed to make a significant impact in it, something which was seen throughout the Test series.

During a pre-match interview with Michael Holding, captain Virat Kohli addressed the same topic, saying that the oppositions for the practice matches also matter.

“Lot of people talk about tour games but where are those tour games happening and against what quality of bowling are very important questions to be asked. Because if you don’t get the preparation you need before a Test series, then it is actually not utilised well. Time is not utilized well if you don’t get the quality of opposition that you will face in Test cricket”, Kohli was quoted during the interview.

Earlier, former captain Sunil Gavaskar had also found faults with the Indian team’s recent knack of not taking the practice matches seriously. “I can understand they have taken the day off today.. they are still licking the wounds of the defeat at Lord’s but they should have been planning to leave for Nottingham after today which would have been the last day of the Lord’s Test and practice from tomorrow”, Gavaskar told India TV after India crumbled at Lord’s.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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