SYDNEY - The pressure was just too much for India in the end. They put a spirited defence of their World Cup title but chasing more than 300 to beat Australia in Thursday's semi-final was a task even beyond them.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India's inspiring captain who led his country to an unforgettable World Cup win four years ago, led his team from the front again. He top scored for his team with a run-a-ball 65 but it was all in vain as the Indians collapsed to be all out for 233 in the 47th over, chasing Australia's daunting 328 for seven.
"They (Australia) played very good cricket, over 300 is always a difficult score," Dhoni said at the post-match presentation. "I felt it was just over par, they could have had 350." India got off to a good start in the reply at the Sydney Cricket Ground with the openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan putting on 76 in the first 13 overs but when Dhawan fell for 45, the wickets started to tumble.
"We started okay but they bowled well. But overall, quite happy with where we were at the start of the tournament," Dhoni said. "Shikhar's dismissal was on the softer side because that was the time when we could have milked the Australian bowling. It was not really needed to play a big shot but overall there's pressure chasing 320 runs and pressure makes you do things you don't want to." Dhoni quit his job as India's test captain during the series against Australia but said he had no plans of quitting the limited-overs team in the immediate future. He said he was undecided about playing on to the 2019 World Cup but had his eyes on next year's Twenty20 World Cup being hosted by India. "I'm 33, I'm still running, still fit. Next year, T20 World Cup, will be time to decide about 2019."
The 33-year-old, asked if he had decided to stay or quit after the defending champions' 95-run defeat at the Sydney Cricket Ground, bounced the question back at the media and asked them to "do research". "I think you all should do research and whatever you write, the opposite will be the truth," Dhoni said, without elaborating. "I am not that old, so do your research first." Dhoni made a shock retirement from Test cricket in December after the third Test of the four-match series against Australia, with the decision being announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) through a media release.
In the immediate aftermath of Thursday's loss, Dhoni had suggested he would continue to play international cricket at least until the 2016 World Twenty20 tournament which is being played in India. "I'm 33, I'm still running, still fit. Next year, T20 World Cup, will be time to decide about the 2019 World Cup," Dhoni told a TV interviewer. However, Dhoni was unsure if coach Duncan Fletcher, whose three-year contract is due to end after the World Cup, will remain or leave the job." "That is between the BCCI and Duncan," he said. "I don't know what will happen. Duncan's technical knowledge of the game is excellent. I really enjoy his company.
He took over at a time when senior players had left and he had to groom the juniors. It was a tough job."