Following the drawn second Test in Wellington, India have now
failed to win even one of their past 14 away Tests going back to June 2011.
They endured eight straight defeats in England and Australia in 2011-12 but
this current side of young batsmen halted that streak with a thrilling draw
against South Africa in Johannesburg in December last year.
They then lost in
Durban and Auckland before failing to convert a strong position in Wellington.
MS Dhoni felt his team was continually getting better and would hopefully reach
a point where they would start generating victories away from home. "I am
someone who speaks more about the process rather than thinking just about the
results," Dhoni said. "We played after a long break outside the
subcontinent. If you compare those two series [0-8] with the last few we have
played, there is plenty of improvement. That's what it's all about.
You want to
keep improving to a stage where you start converting those good situations into
better starts and start capitalising on it. So far you may say we haven't
capitalised on the kind of starts when it came to our batting department, but
still there is plenty of improvement. I will take that and move on to the next
series." India did not win a single game out of the 11 completed matches
in South Africa and New Zealand. Dhoni said India kept getting ahead in New
Zealand but could not make that advantage count with victories on the board.
However, he felt there are still plenty of encouraging signs from this tour,
even compared to South Africa. "The ODIs were disappointing to some
extent, especially the New Zealand part. South Africa, you can always say we
didn't get enough time to prepare ourselves and in a three-match series, it is
difficult to come back. But [in] New Zealand there were instances where we
could have capitalised on the kind of starts we got or if we had a good
partnership in the middle, but we failed to do that. "We saw a glimpse of
that in the Test match also.
In the last Test match also, in the second
innings, we bowled fantastically well to come back into the series. Then when
we were batting, I felt we had a good partnership going but we lost wickets at
the wrong time and that put the pressure back on ourselves. That's one part
where we will have to improve. "Often it's not about how much runs you
have scored," Dhoni said. "It's often about what kind of cricket you
are playing. You may get a good ball and you may get out. But at times, back
home what happens is if you score a fifty, you are in form and batting well.
But that's not the reality. A batsman who is batting well may score 30 runs and
may get out to a very good delivery.
As a batting unit, we have done well and
we have shown improvement. "But what's important is to be more consistent.
All batsmen have got one good innings in the last four Tests. If we can improve
that and make it maybe two or three, then the situation of the team really
improves. That's one area where we will have to improve, and definitely that
seems like something where we will definitely improve in the future."
One
positive from the New Zealand tour was that Shikhar Dhawan showed he could
score big at the top of the order in Tests outside India, with 115 in Auckland
and 98 in Wellington. While his partner M Vijay could not get going, Dhoni was
pleased with the "vast" progress of his openers in difficult
conditions. "It will always be tough, the reason being it is not easy
especially with the Kookaburra ball. It does a lot initially even if the wickets
are flat. It is always difficult for the openers and that is where experience
to some extent really counts. You only get experience as you play more and more
cricket. Considering their frame of mind how it was in South Africa, I think
slowly there has been vast improvement, how they are preparing themselves for
the games.
Actually, Vijay in the nets has been batting really well. He has not
been able to convert or take that into the match but he is looking really good.
Shikhar again I think he batted well. He got big runs. It is really important
he maintains himself in the same way, figures out how he needs to plan to be
successful outside the subcontinent and what will be important is to back
yourself to play the kind of cricket you really play."
Also comforting Dhoni
was the intensity shown in New Zealand by the leader of his bowling attack,
Zaheer Khan. The swing bowler had appeared spent in South Africa after sending
down more than 60 overs in Johannesburg, but he was sharp through the 67 overs
he had to bowl in Wellington, which included figures of 51-13-170-5 in the
second innings. Dhoni said it was good to see Zaheer taking wickets, and added
that is what the team would need from him regularly, in addition to the
mentoring role he performs.
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