Mohali: A disappointed Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Saturday did some plain talking directed to some of his non performing bowlers and said that international cricketers need not be "spoon-fed" and they should bowl at their strengths and not bleed runs.
"I think the last few overs were disappointing, it is an area of concern and it is getting worse. There was a bit of dew but not like in the last game. The individuals will have to step up, they have to come up with their plans and back their strength," he said after India lost the third ODI by four wickets from a winning position.
It was not difficult to find out to whom Dhoni was directing his comments at as his pacers have been struggling in the three matches so far in the ODI series.
Out-of-form Ishant Sharma gave away 30 runs on Saturday in the 48th over to turn the tide in Australia's favour.
"You don't need to spoon-feed bowlers at the international level. You need to come up with your plan, focus on your strength and execute your plans," he said when asked if he had given any specific direction to his bowlers.
Asked further about his bowling woes, especially in the death overs, he said, "We started well, [Ravindra] Jadeja bowled really well in the middle overs. Also, we need more from the part-timers." He also said that his side could have batted better on a good track at the PCA Stadium. "I think we could have batted better, on a track like this. We were fortunate to get beyond 300, looked like we would get around 250," said Dhoni whose blazing 139* off 121 balls took India's score to 303 for 9 after the home side was reduced to 76 for 4 in the 13th over.
