“The first half-an-hour was crucial. Had we negotiated that, we could have set the total that we had in mind. 27 for five was a bit too much. I thought if we lost maybe one or two wickets, it would still be decent because you had a chance of getting back. You had a seventh batsman and we have also seen Bhajji and Praveen contributing to a certain extent,” Dhoni said at the post-match press-do.

“It was difficult to come back after that. Even 150 was looking very difficult after that and we were fortunate to cross the mark,” he added.

Dhoni refused to blame the pitch for India’s debacle. “Initially, there was a bit of movement for the pacers, it was not off the wicket but because of the air. As the day progressed, it became better to bat on. The pitch didn’t misbehave in any way.”

The Jharkhandi also said India did not grab the opportunities that came their way in the series. “There were a couple of games we should have won, but it’s past and nothing can be done about it. But had we won them, the scenario would have been different. At the end, we have lost the series. We have done well in patches in this series, but we haven’t grabbed the opportunities,” he said.

“I won’t blame the bowlers too much as the conditions were favourable for the batsmen. Still, they could have done a fraction better,” he added.

Dhoni said his dismissal due to an umpiring error was part and parcel of international cricket. “Good or bad decisions are part and parcel of the game. I don’t know how the game would have panned out if I had stayed there. Maybe we would have got 20 more runs, maybe we could have scored 10 runs less. Whatever has happened has happened, you have to accept the fact that I was out.”