"Sourav has a hamstring injury," Dhoni remarked after India's 47-run defeat. "He was eager to play, but we were not willing to risk a batsman getting injured during the game. Therefore we decided to rest him for this game as well. Hopefully, by the next match, he will be a hundred percent fit."

Dhoni was asked if, 0-2 down in the seven-match series, India's task wasn't uphill from here on. "It was always tough from the start, it has got tougher now," he replied. "But there still are four matches left."

Seeking to draw positives from this loss, the skipper went on, "We have had problems with bowling at the death, but here in the last five overs, we only conceded 30 runs or so. That is a big improvement. Saying that, we need to get a good start. The key in India is to have wickets in hand because then, you can chase eights and tens in the last ten to 15 overs. Otherwise, you are playing catch-up. The batsmen had a role to play in the defeat, but it wasn't just the batsmen. This is a team game, we must take collective responsibility."

Admitting that the Aussies held the upper hand right now, Dhoni said, "We have to improve from here. We need to bat better, we need good starts. It is important to deny their new-ball bowlers wickets, especially when you are chasing and chasing big totals, at that."

For the second time at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium, a Yuvraj Singh hundred went in vain. "Of course he is disappointed," Dhoni acknowledged. "He is the kind of guy who believes in winning, not in just scoring runs for himself. The way he batted at the Twenty20 and the way he has been batting here, his form has ben amazing. It is important that all the batsmen play around him.

"When Yuvi and I were batting, I still thought we had a chance," Dhoni said of his 65-run stand with the left-hander. "I got out at the wrong time. If I had batted another 5-7 overs, the game would have been a lot closer. I have always maintained that it is important to get to a situation where you can also put pressure on the bowlers, and see how they react to that pressure."

Incident-free
It was a game without incident, except once in the 25th over of the Indian chase, when Dhoni himself complained to umpire Steve Bucknor about something his counterpart Ricky Ponting told him. "Before the match, we had a meeting with the match referee, and it was decided that no harsh words would be used. He used a few harsh words, though I can't tell you what they were," Dhoni explained.