Dhoni admits promoting Raina was a mistake

Dhaka: Struggling to digest the fact that India finished second best despite dominating the tri-series, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Saturday admitted promoting Suresh Raina ahead of him in the all-important final was a mistake.

Chasing 316, India fumbled and faltered, losing wickets at regular intervals. Dhoni sent Raina (24) at number six and though the left-hander got the start, he could not carry on.

Finally when Dhoni came to bat, he was soon running out of partners and with the run rate skyrocketing, the India captain had no option but to take risks and he was the last man out as India fell 25-run shy of Pakistan's total.

"In hindsight, promoting Raina was a mistake because I came late and was running out of partners," Dhoni rued after the match.

"That decision was a mistake but it happens in cricket and you learn from mistakes," he said.

According to Dhoni, a decent start and some lengthy partnership could have made the difference.

"We did not start well and then did not have enough partnerships either. Losing too many wickets was the killer. We got runs at a decent rate but losing wickets at regular intervals cost us the game," Dhoni rued.