Having lost the ODI series against Australia, India captain MS Dhoni denied that the hosts had become complacent after Australia lost their frontline players. “You can’t be complacent against any Australian team. We lost a couple of close matches and today we lost too many wickets in the first 10 overs,” he said on Sunday.

According to the skipper, the batting lacked consistency. “This is the reason we lost the series. If we want to become No 1, we have to win games more consistently,” he said.

Dhoni defended Virender Sehwag’s approach towards batting but admitted that experienced players are expected to play according to the situation and conditions. Sehwag got starts in almost every game in the series but couldn’t capitalise on them.

“There’s nothing to complain about. He (Sehwag) is known to be an aggressor… he plays like that,” Dhoni said, but added: “Experienced players are expected to play according to the conditions. The ball did a bit early and the first half hour was crucial. If we had negotiated that, we could have set the target we had in mind.”

Asked if the team missed Amit Mishra’s leg-spin, he said: “In hindsight, maybe yes. But (Ravindra) Jadeja is scoring runs and bowling his overs. So, it was difficult to find a slot for Mishra.”

‘A great achievement’

Australia captain Ricky Ponting, meanwhile, was delighted. “This is a great achievement, especially after losing so many players. It will be right up there along with the World Cup, Champions Trophy and the 6-1 win against England. The youngsters rose to the occasion and it’s a great sign for Australian cricket with the World Cup just a year away,” said Ponting.

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