Indian coach John Wright said the poor running between the wickets was the reason for India's eight-wicket defeat against the Australians at Pune on Wednesday. Talking to reporters after the match, Wright said "it was essential to work on the basic concepts of the game since no team can afford such things in a one-day international."

Praising Aussie openers Mark Waugh and Matthew Hayden, the former New Zealand captain said "If we would have got early breakthroughs with the bowl turning so much, it was a competitive total." Wright also stressed the need of consistency in the fielding department as it was important in one-dayers.

When asked to comment on Rahul Dravid's injury, Wright said that he (Dravid) was hit on the shin but added that he was not aware of the extent of the injury. However, he expressed the hope that the injury was not serious and Dravid would be fit by tomorrow. Speaking about Vijay Dahiya's injury, he said that Dahiya had a bit of brazing but it was a part and parcel of wicket keeping, he added.

At the post-match interview, skipper Sourav Ganguly rued the spate of run outs of his batsmen at crucial junctures in the game. He also said that the spinners should have performed better on an increasingly turning pitch. "The three run outs did not help us...Dravid and Laxman who are in great form were also run out after both were set," a disappointed Ganguly said.

Ganguly, who failed to end his run of poor scores, said India could have been in with a chance had they scored another 30 runs. "Thirty runs more could have been safe," he said. On the pitch, the skipper said, "I thought it would turn but not like this." Praising the efforts of 'Man-of-the-Match' Mark Waugh, Ganguly said, "he played superbly." "There are three more games to go and we will come back tougher for the next," he added optimistically.

The winning captain Steve Waugh said he thought a score of 248 was "very competitive especially if you get a couple of early wickets. Though our bowling was satisfactory, the batting was excellent." Lauding Matthew Hayden who has performed exceptionally in the series, Waugh said, "today also he continued to play well. He gave us a fantastic start. Mark (Waugh) too batted well in an excellent partnership." Steve Waugh agreed crucial Indian run outs helped his team strengthen its chances in the match. "There were a couple of misfields and our fielding was average but full credit to our batsmen."

Mark Waugh, who played a match-winning knock of 133 off 138 balls to register his 18th one-day ton, said "the wicket was a little bit slow and initially it was tough. I had to get through the new ball because there was always the chance of nicking the ball. "The first 5-6 overs I was cautious and then I concentrated on hitting the ball into the gaps and running hard to put pressure on the fielders." The stylish right-hander admitted he was disappointed with his dismissal in Bangalore where he was castled by Srinath for five and said he tried "to be patient here."

© PTI