Dharamsala, Oct 3 (IANS): India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Friday said he believed some umpiring decision which did not go in favour of his side changed the game as South Africa beat the host by seven wickets in the first T20 international at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium here.
J.P. Duminy's 68-run innings proved to be the decisive factor as the Proteas got home with two deliveries to spare. But the left-hander survived two very close shouts for leg-before-wicket during his stay at the crease. Both looked to be right in front of the stumps but the umpire thought otherwise.
"We did not have quite a few decisions going our way and sometimes these can change the match. If you could have got Duminy early it could have been different. He played brilliant cricket later on," Dhoni said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
He said the total of 199 that India had amassed was close to par but added they gave to many runs away in small phases during the game.
"We had something close to par, but there was dew and in high altitude the ball travels faster. There were periods where we conceded too many runs. That puts a lot of pressure on the bowlers. Any over above 20, it puts a lot of pressure," he said.
He lastly pointed to the fact the bowlers were not able strangle the opposition even after having such a huge score onboard.
"You need to choke the opposition, you need to make it tough for them. We couldn't do that today, despite having 200 runs on the board," he said.