Everything that could go wrong, went wrong: Dhoni

Everything that could go wrong, went wrong: Dhoni
London:: Bemoaning the loss of key players to injuries midway through the match, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni also held the "variable bounce" at the Lord's pitch responsible for his team's massive defeat in the first Test against England.

"What we saw different from the 2007 series this time was the variable bounce. It became tough. In 2007, there was much more bounce but it was even too. It was interesting to see where I was standing as a keeper then. Zaheer bowls his overs from where I stand, and I used to do so by being 2-3 yards behind in 2007. Here I was standing 2-3 yards in front," Dhoni said after the 196-run loss match on Monday.

"It had an impact. In 2007 you could leave the deliveries. Here the bounce was very uneven. You couldn't leave each delivery because a few balls really kept low and never really carried. You had to look to play each delivery and when it bounced it was difficult."

What also prevented India from playing to their full potential were injuries to key players.

"Everything (that) could have gone wrong, went wrong. It was tough for batsmen to bat at different slots, it was tough for bowlers with only three left (in Zaheer Khan's absence)," said Dhoni.

"Zaheer's absence made it tough to manage bowlers. With just three bowlers left and the ball not turning that much, we didn't have too many options... our resources were limited.

"As for batters, it was difficult for them to bat at different slots they are not used to. Dravid, Gambhir and Sachin all had added pressure of not batting at their usual slots," Dhoni said.

Due to Gautam Gambhir's injury, Rahul Dravid came out as an opener in the second innings. Sachin Tendulkar, because of his viral infection, could only bat at number five.

Talking about Zaheer, who left the field on the first morning itself due to a hamstring strain, Dhoni said the seamer's absence was felt.

"In Zaheer's absence, it became tough to manage three bowlers. We didn't have too many options. If we had one extra bowler, things could have been different.