London, June 15: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni apologised to the thousands of disappointed fans who watched their side exit the Twenty20 World Cup at Lord’s on Sunday and promised to make amends in the West Indies next year.
The defending champions were eliminated after they lost by three runs to England in their Super Eight clash on Sunday. They also lost to West Indies on Friday.
“We are sorry for what happened but we can say we gave our best,” Dhoni told a news conference. “I think we have the guys who can handle the pressure, it was a day when nothing really worked for us.”
Dhoni said India would bounce back at the next Twenty20 World Cup in the Caribbean next year.
“We can definitely prove a point over there. We were never really up to the mark but in nine months time there will be another World Cup and that is the only good thing we can say now,” he said.
“Cricket never tests your character when you are doing really well. It tests you when you are not doing well. I think this is a testing time for us but it’s not the end of the road.”
“We lost in the 2007 World Cup and we lost in 50 overs, that was the worst part of my career. This loss is disappointing but still I don’t think it comes near to the loss we had in the 50 overs World Cup.”
Dhoni rejected suggestions that the prolonged Indian Premier League Twenty20 competition, staged in South Africa this year because of security concerns in India, had adversely affected his team.
“It is a demanding format because you play at different venues, it’s not like you play three or four games at the same point,” he said. “But I personally believe it’s not an excuse.”