Dhoni blasts non-performing bowlers, says can't be 'spoon-fed'

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni rewrote some records at Mohali but his efforts did not yield in victory for his team.

A disappointed Dhoni 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 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 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, 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 who took India's score to 303 for nine after the home side were reduced to 76 for four in the 13th over.

Australian captain George Bailey praised Faulkner for his stupendous 26-ball unbeaten 64, which included 30 runs he took from Ishant in the 48th over to turn the tide in the visiting team's favour.

"Faulkner's hitting was as good as I have seen. The bowling was fantastic, particularly after the other day. 300 is always imposing, but we were quietly confident when we came off the field. There is no easy game," he said.

"If I could learn to catch, we would have been chasing 20-30 less from MS (Dhoni)," he said, referring to his dropped catch of Dhoni when on 105 in the 49th over of India's innings.

Dhoni went on to hit an unbeaten 139 to take India to 303 for nine.

Man-of-the-Match James Faulkner said he targeted for Ishant in the 48th over as he knew that it would be difficult to hit R Ashwin out of the park.