Kolkata, Oct 29: After whitewashing England in the ODI series, the six-wicket loss in the only Twenty20 would come as a bitter pill to swallow for the Indians. Electing to bat first, the hosts were restricted to a below par 120 for nine, a total that England chased down with ease. Skipper MS Dhoni felt his side were 15 runs short of what could’ve been a match-winning target on the slow and difficult Eden Gardens track.

Excerpts from the post-match presentation

On India’s total of 120

It wasn’t a 150-run wicket but I thought we were 15 runs short. We didn’t get off to a good start but had a bit of a partnership going in the middle. Had a couple of individuals stuck in there, we would’ve got to a par score and could have even got some five to 10 runs more than that.

On the pitch

It was very slow track and it got even more difficult for us because they bowled in the right areas. They used the slow ball to very good effect. [R] Ashwin played some shots in the end [so] we could reach 120. But 10–15 runs more and the result could’ve been different.

On the team’s future

Since we play cricket almost round the year, things will get very difficult for us if we look too far ahead. What’s important right now is the few days’ rest that’s coming up and then we report to Delhi for the first Test against West Indies. Many of the senior players will joint the team and some of the young bowlers will get an opportunity to prove their mettle. It will be an interesting series.

On how his body was holding up

It’s surviving and that’s important. You might get injured at times, not score too many runs and face other problems as well. But it is important to keep enjoying your game. When you’re playing for the Indian cricket team, it gets really tough, especially on the youngsters who don’t enjoy the game and forget that at the end of the day, it’s only a sport.