Dravid rues faulty execution

India's 17-match winning streak when batting second finally came to an end with an agonising one-run defeat in the second one-day international against West Indies in Jamaica, and Rahul Dravid, the captain, blamed the defeat on faulty execution of their gameplan.

"It had to end one stage or the other, [but] probably not when chasing a modest target," Dravid said after the match. "But we did not go about our plans well." The Indians did well in the field, restricting West Indies to just 198. However, they were then choked by the West Indian bowlers, with only Yuvraj Singh (93) keeping the Indians in the hunt.

According to Dravid, a few impetuous strokes tilted the scales. "We lost the match because a few of our batsmen played lofted strokes at the wrong time," he said. "Still, I would not be too critical of the team." He also singled out Yuvraj for special praise, describing his innings as one of the best he had seen in the recent months. "There have been so many similar innings played by him that it's difficult to term which one is the best. However, this was a special effort."

Dravid, though, was happy with the think-tank's decision to go into the match with an extra spinner. Ramesh Powar came in for RP Singh, and performed superbly, taking 2 for 38 from his ten overs. "We got our selection right. The wicket had slowed down and the spinners proved to be crucial for both the sides. But we did not execute our plans well. Hopefully we can learn from here and move on."

The teams now move on to St Kitts for the third match on May 23, while the last two games will be played in Trinidad.