MS Dhoni blames bowlers for tame defeat against Australia

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was scathing in his criticism of his bowlers for bowling too many loose deliveries against Australia as they lost the first match of the one-day series at the MCG, in Melbourne on Sunday.

"If you see the game, they bowled too short. Two (bowlers) went for a lot of runs. You do bowl loose deliveries but there are certain so loose that they would always go for a four or a six," Dhoni said after his side's 65-run defeat.

"Today we bowled a lot of these deliveries. Even if it's a big ground, the execution wasn't great and that was the reason they could score 216 runs," he added.

The two bowlers facing Dhoni's ire were Ravinder Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin who leaked runs liberally.

"It's a worry. If Jadeja doesn't bowl well, then the stability of the side is affected. You also need a batsman who can bat at number seven. You need to restrict the opponent, you can't let them score too many runs, thinking your batters can chase down any total.

"You have to bowl well for the batters to have a reasonable chance to chase down a total."

Jadjea conceded 41 runs in his 2.4 overs and was hit for three sixes. He also bowled two no-balls and a wide.

"As for Ashwin, it's very difficult. At times bowlers don't bowl well. It has effect on everyone. He is a good bowler, he has done well. But then it's his first series in Australia.

"He is still getting used to it, especially with the white ball and the bounce of the wicket. If you bowl a loose delivery here, more often than not you would be scored off. It could be playing on his mind."

One bowler who earned the skipper's approval was young leg-spinner Rahul Sharma, who picked up Australian opener Mathew Wade's wicket and induced a lot of edges.