One off-day cost us: Dhoni
India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has said a below-par performance against Pakistan in the opening match cost his team an early exit from the Champions Trophy.
"Of course, the first game we played we were off the boil. But apart from that game, the second was a wash-out and the third we won," Dhoni said after his team crashed out of the tournament on Wednesday.
"You feel disappointed, but at the same time it is difficult to say whether this performance was bad," said Dhoni.
India were under pressure after losing to Pakistan by 54 runs in their opening game of the four-team Group A. They managed just 248 after conceding 302 runs.
The next match against defending champions Australia was abandoned due to rain, with their opponents looking on course for a big total after posting 234-4 in 42.3 overs.
When India completed a seven-wicket victory over a depleted West Indies side in a day-night game here on Wednesday, they were already out of the competition following Australia's last-ball win over Pakistan in a day match.
Australia topped the group with five points from three matches, followed by Pakistan (4/3), India (3/3) and the West Indies (0/3). The top two advanced to the semifinals.
Wicket-keeper Dhoni also turned seamer for the first time in one-day internationals, taking the wicket of Travis Dowlin with his fourth delivery. Dinesh Karthik kept wickets after 16 overs.
"I bowl regularly in the nets, but this was one of those wickets where I could have bowled," said Dhoni.
"So I thought I can get in three-four overs and then we could get in the spinners if Abhishek Nayar bowls from the other end."
Dhoni said he hoped India would put in a better performance in the home one-day series against Australia, starting later this month.
"We made quite a few mistakes in this tournament, like bowlers giving width to the batsmen. I don't think it's such a serious problem that it can't be solved," said the Indian captain.
"Hopefully, we will assemble before the Australian series and rectify the problems."
The Indian skipper also said it would be better for the team if bowlers also contributed with the bat.
"That's one of the reasons why the Australian side is really good because they are playing six specialist bowlers and most of them can bat," said Dhoni.
"At times, if you play with only five bowlers and you have only six batsmen, it is a big worry. It's always about the combination. In this tournament, we were really forced to play with five bowlers who can't really bat much."
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