Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, in a confessional mode, blamed himself and his mates for not clicking as a unit in the ICC World Twenty20 but refused to blame fatigue as the reason for it.

TRENT BRIDGE (Nottingham): Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, in a confessional mode, blamed himself and his mates for not clicking as a unit in the ICC World Twenty20 but refused to blame fatigue as the reason for it.

"If three bowlers were on target then others were not, if some batters clicked, the others failed. A few individuals did well but as a unit we didn't," was Dhoni's candid admission after his side had made a mess of a small target of 131 against South Africa here on Tuesday.

"The truth is we normally perform 80 per cent of our collective strength. Here we didn't perform even 50 or 60 per cent."

Dhoni was inclined to blame batting as the main falling of his side-rather than fatigue which has been the viewpoint of his coach Gary Kirsten.

"Key players, including me, were out of form. Our batting struggled and that hurt since we are always known for our batting.

"However, I never felt I was tired. You have to play 20 overs and you can manage it. It wasn't like Sri Lanka (last year) where I thought I needed break and opted out. That was when I was really tired. Here I wasn't even close to it."

As for Kirsten's suggestion that he might consider suggesting to BCCI to pull cricketers out of IPL ahead of national duty, Dhoni said the call ought to come from cricketers themselves.

"We cricketers are intelligent. I think we would know if pulling out is a better option. If you get injured, you are out of the game for three to six months. However, if you take a month's off, you miss only a few weeks and that's a batter option.

"I think more and more cricketers might do it so from now on."

The Indian skipper admitted his side had niggles and injury but cricketers are battling it all the time.

"If you are looking for 100 per cent fitness then a cricketer might not play more than three or four series in a year.

"Sure very few were 100 per cent fit. Some had ankle, some shoulder injury. That's why they were also not giving off their best in the field. But I am not sure if fatigue is the reason for it. These days you have rehab and can quickly come back to fitness.

The crowd, at the presentation ceremony, actually booed Dhoni but the Indian skipper was unaffected by it.

"It's not the first time I have been booed. When we lost in 2007 World Cup, "mera antim sanskar" (my last rites) were also done. But I don't feel bad. It shows the expectation levels of fans.

"I was told by a senior a few years ago. He said if somebody is appreciating you, don't hit seventh heaven. If you fall on floor, it wouldn't be good for you. So adopt a central path.and I try to do so.