India suffered a massive 141-run loss in the first match of their South Africa sojourn. While the defeat in the first ODI was a collective failure on the bowling and batting front, captain MS Dhoni was particularly critical of his pace bowlers who allowed the hosts to pile on 358 in seam-friendly conditions. "Overall it was a bad performance," Dhoni said. "It started with the bowlers initially. This was not really a 350-plus wicket. We were supposed to bowl it up, and the wicket would have done the rest. We didn't get the kind of start that was needed. At the same time we should have backed it up with some good batting, but we weren't able to do it." The difference between the length and lines bowled by the Indian and South African bowlers was stark. While the likes of Mohit Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar posed no problems with their short and wide deliveries, Dale Steyn and co. were relentlessly having the Indian batsmen prod and miss. It brought out the inexperience of the young Indian bowlers and their lack of knowledge of the South African conditions. “They know the conditions better than us," Dhoni said. "They know what lengths to bowl. That is one of the reasons why I want our bowlers to step up, so that you don't give away 300 runs. That puts pressure on the batsmen because they have to go after the bowling right from the first ball, which was not easy on this wicket against bowlers like Dale Steyn. If you see how he bowled to Rohit, he didn't move away from the good areas. We will have to step up overall." Besides not being able to put a stranglehold on the batsmen at the beginning of the innings, the Indians gave away 100 runs in the last six overs – a problem that has plagued Indian Cricket for years now. Dhoni, however, was more disappointed with his bowlers’ efforts with the new ball. "Death bowling - over the world bowlers are going for runs," Dhoni said. "With the extra fielder inside and the fast bowlers are not able to get reverse-swing. It is the new ball that is important. Conditions will help. Bowl in the right areas, let the batsmen play good shots. Don't give them a gift,” the Indian captain said. When suggested if the loss could be attributed less preparation time for the series, Dhoni said the scheduling cannot be used as an excuse. "It is difficult [to play without warm-up games] but at the same time, when you know the schedule, you have to mentally prepare yourself. If you ask some of the experienced players, they will say a lot of cricket is played mentally. We had two to two-and-a-half days, which gave us time to prepare ourselves mentally for the ODI. "What can be done? You'd love to come here, practise for a few days, play a few games, but nowadays the international schedule doesn't really permit that. We play throughout the year. "If we need to get in those extra days, you don't know where they will come from. We played West Indies, had two or three days off, and came here. You have to adapt to conditions. Let us not complain about what is not there. Of course it would be lovely to get a few practice games, but at the end of the day what is important is what is in your hand,” the skipper said.