Rajkot: Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Friday said India could have chased down the stiff 326-run target set by England in the first ODI here today, had he and Suresh Raina stayed till the end.
Chasing England`s 325 for four, India lacked the batting firepower and were restricted to a 316 for nine in a high-scoring contest to concede a 1-0 lead to visitors in the five-match series.
Till Dhoni (32) and Raina (50) were at the crease, India were well and truly on course but lost wickets in regular intervals to make life difficult for themselves.
"It was difficult but we should have got there. It was close to 280 or 290 rather than looking at it as 320-odd. Maybe I should have batted a few more overs," he said at the post-match presentation.
"I won`t sound arrogant but it seemed easy when I and Raina were in, with five fielders in the circle. But once we fell, it was difficult," he said.
Dhoni lauded his spiners for bringing India back into the match in the middle overs after, electing to bat, England went off to a scintillating start.
"There was a situation in the middle when it looked they would have scored 340, but spinners got us back. It is a new batch of bowlers, not much experienced in international cricket," he said.
England skipper Alastair Cook attributed the win to team effort.
"It was a good toss to win on a very good wicket, and we made the most of it. I am proud of the side. Samit (Patel) and Craig (Kieswetter) at the end made a difference," he said.
Patel and Kieswetter added quickfire 70 runs off 41 balls for the fifth wicket to take England past the 320-run mark.
"It is hard to defend with five men in the circle, India kept getting close, but we got the wickets when it mattered," he said.
The English captain also praised man-of-the-match James Tredwell for his match-winning figures of four for 44.
"Tredwell bowled brilliantly. It is pretty much the same attack we had here in 2001, and good to see how we have learned from the experience," Cook said.
Off-spinner Tredwell said while restricting, England got wickets when it mattered for the side.
"You try and hit your skills over and over again. If the batsman hits a good shot, so be it. We got wickets at the right time, even at the lower end, it is what helped us get over the line," he said.
PTI
First Published: Friday, January 11, 2013, 20:53