India's chasing woes when Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni do not make an impression came back to haunt them again and while it is a matter of real concern, the captain seemed pretty cool about the whole issue, insisting the batsmen need to be given time to learn how to finish off matches.
As slow as the pitch was in Ranchi, India should have really got over the line while chasing New Zealand's score of 260, but once Kohli and Dhoni, who looked completely out of sorts with the bat in his hometown, got out, the chase unraveled quickly, allowing the Black Caps to level the series and take it to the final match.
If Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav or Hardik Pandya had shown a bit more composure, the game would have gone India's way but Dhoni was quick to come out in support of his players.
"I've always said batting down the order, especially on wickets like these, it's always tough," Dhoni told reporters after the match. "We will have to give them time and they will find their way.
"It's important they get games like these and finally they'll figure out a way what suits them best to chase down a total like this.
"Unless they get an opportunity like this it will be very difficult because that's how you get experience. You can learn a lot by watching but ultimately when you feel the pressure and go through that motion that's when you learn a lot.
"It will be a good learning curve for them, almost similar to what happened in New Delhi."
In Delhi, India fumbled while chasing a smaller total than the one in Ranchi and while Dhoni insisted he was not overly concerned, there will be a few worry lines cropping up on the foreheads of the captain, Kohli and Anil Kumble, the coach. Because, teams will now know that if they get Dhoni and Kohli, in particular, early, the chances of India chasing down a total diminish to a large extent.
However, like Dhoni said, the only way to get those chasing skills working out of these batsmen is by putting them in similar situations time and again – the more they play under such conditions, the better they should get, or at least, so the captain will hope.
India and New Zealand will now clash in the fifth and deciding ODI in Visakhapatnam on Saturday.
