The press conference after the match between Australia and India on January 17 revealed a lot apart from cricket. In the context of India losing three consecutive matches in the ongoing Victoria Bitter ODI series, a number of points were raised about the team’s performance.
Man of the Match of the third ODI, Glenn Maxwell, caused an upheaval among fans after hinting at the possibility of a certain mindset in Indian players.
"They were probably just making sure they got to a milestone. Some people are milestone driven, some people aren't," the Aussie batsman said.
"If you're milestone driven and it means that much to you, then go for it. But it's not been something that's really driven me too much. Each to their own," Maxwell added.
However, Maxwell was lenient to award the touring team some good comments about the game.
"They played really well today. I thought everything clicked for them on a pretty difficult wicket," he said, adding that India were much improved with their batting and bowling.
The Indian skipper, MS Dhoni, however, defended his players. When asked whether Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were selfish in their batting while approaching their tons, Dhoni said, "No, certainly not. I don't think so. Don't ask me to elaborate, the statistics are with you.”
Many among the spectators felt that India could have posted greater totals in all the three matches that they have played in the series so far had they been more aggressive in the middle overs.
Dhoni, already frustrated with the series results, came down heavily on the critics when asked about his performance as a captain.
"There will be a conflict of interest if I start reviewing my performance as the skipper," he said.
"You have to see that more than the series win - what really is happening. What are the segments where we are lacking and where we can improve as a team because it is not about the leader. It's the fast bowlers, how at times they give away those easy boundaries and that in turn puts a lot of pressure."
Defending his players over some of the fielding mistakes Dhoni said, "When your best fielders make mistakes you can't blame it on fielding practice.”
However, the wicket keeping batsman suggested ‘lack of concentration’ being one of the striking reasons for the fielding mistakes.
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