Dhoni: Our bowlers didn't perform

MS Dhoni was far from happy with his team despite his own blistering 37-ball 67 in Chennai's five-wicket victory over Hyderabad. 

Chennai's bowlers have struggled to finish at the death more often than not and ended up giving away 63 runs to Hyderabad, a side which has had a tough time with the bat. Every bowler, sans R Ashwin went for plenty and Dhoni was clearly ruffled. Coach Stephen Fleming had asked for an overall improvement from his bowlers but to no avail. 

Dwayne Bravo has been Chennai's most consistent wicket-taker this season but he went for 37 off his four overs as Darren Sammy, Shikhar Dhawan and Ashish Reddy went on a rampage. Even as Dhoni walked off the field after the innings break, he shook his head in disbelief and disappointment. 

"We started off well with the ball but in the death overs, we conceded too many runs. The bowlers did not perform well. The performances have been good but we have to improve our death bowling. 

"Not one bowler has bowled yorkers and it will be a critical factor as the tournament progresses. We have been consistent in the fielding department," Dhoni said after the match. 

Fleming agreed with Dhoni and stressed on the need for further improvement despite a cool 12 points from eight games but thanked his skipper for his sensational knock that saw Chennai through to their sixth win of the tournament. 

"We did a few things pretty badly but we luckily had MS Dhoni who finished the game. Some great hitting from him helped us win. We should have restricted Hyderabad to 130 but they scored plenty of runs in the last five overs," Fleming said 

Michael Hussey provided Chennai with yet another rollicking start but he got out at a crucial juncture for 45 and when Suresh Raina was dismissed with Chennai on 99, Hyderabad must have been optimistic about their chances. But Dhoni's arrival at number four changed the scenario and even though the captain started slowly, he upped the ante in a matter of a few overs, targeting Dale Steyn for special treatment. The South African pacer went for 45 off his four overs. 

"We lost wickets at crucial intervals but the key was the Dhoni cameo. We would like to improve in some areas but I am happy that we are in the top half of the table at the start of the tournament," Fleming said. 

Dhoni too lamented the loss of regular wickets in Chennai's chase but commended Hussey for another job well done. He revealed scoring in the middle overs had been rendered difficult by leg-spinners Amit Mishra and Karan Sharma, who were turning the ball sharply. In fact Bravo had to play out a maiden against Sharma as the required run-rate soared up but Dhoni knew that a top-order batsman had to stay around till the end without taking undue risks. 

"Hussey started off but we lost wickets at regular intervals. They had two leg-spinners who were bowling very well. As the match progressed, the pitch became slower. One of the established batsman had to stay there till the end," Dhoni said as he collected the Man-of-the-Match award.