Parties, travel take a toll, says Dhoni after India's T20 exit

St Lucia:

No, it was not the Indian Premier League or too much cricket that led to the debacle in the World T20, Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has said.

But in the collective soul searching that India must do after the humiliating exit in West Indies, the Captain did say, "Players need to be smart because the IPL is not just about cricket, there are other things going around, you have to travel a lot...so you have to respect your body and at the same time take care of your body, which is important...if you don't do that then IPL is quite draining...if you are playing late night games, if you go the parties and come back late and travel the next day it takes a toll on your body.Read: What Dhoni had to say

And, he said, if individual players gave their bodies that respect, then the 45 days of IPL would not drain them. Dhoni was clear that there has been no impact or any setback because of the IPL being played just before this tournament: As far as the player fitness and freshness is concerned, most players were fit and fresh. As far as the IPL is concerned that's an open window when we play for our franchises so I don't think that was one of the reasons why we didn't do well in the world cup. I played all the games, except for missing 3 games, but I feel fresh. Watch: Dhoni's take on IPL exit

If at all the IPL and a major international tournament should be held far apart, it is so he is not questioned about IPL. T20 World Cup and IPL should be held separately so that this question is not asked over and over again...last time also there was this same question...Next time there is the 2011 World Cup first and then the IPL and there is no T20 World Cup after that so at least next year you will not be asking any such question.

Immediately after losing to Sri Lanka, Dhoni said his side failed to play to its potential. At one point in the game, India looked set for a big score. They were 90 for one in 10 overs after electing to bat and yet could score only 163 for five, ending up losing all second round matches. Read: India knocked out of World T20

"I think execution of plans from their bowlers was very good, even with set batsmen we couldn't score freely. Overall, batting is our strength and we should have done better. We didn't perform to our potential. The last 4-5 overs that they bowled really restricted us. We need to improve in quite a few areas," Dhoni said after the match.

In Pics: India's World T20 exit