Zimbabwe skipper blasts team's lack of mental toughness

Livid after conceding a series-deciding lead to India, Zimbabwe cricket captain Brendan Taylor said his team has exhibited a distinct lack of mental toughness in the ongoing ODIs.

Zimbabwe are winless in the five-match series so far, losing the first three ODIs without giving much of a headache to the visitors. (3rd ODI Scorecard)

"I think (the problem is) mental toughness. I don't think we're mentally sharp enough. We're just not making the precise decisions at the right time and not putting a real price on our wickets. Too many soft dismissals," Taylor said.

"The most difficult one for me was the second game when we had an opportunity to win that game, and we dropped Dhawan and we dropped plenty of chances and allowed them to get to 290.

"It would have been a different story if we'd caught our catches and probably chased 230-240, we would have gone about our chase a lot differently. It's very frustrating to see, knowing our batting ability and not getting the runs that we know we can get," he elaborated.

Taylor said dealing with Indian bowlers might be tough but not impossible and a bit of patience was all that his batsmen needed to have.

"We all know in the mornings it's a little tricky (to bat) but technically we haven't been good enough. The Indian bowlers, they just keep it nice and simple," he explained.

"They don't give you too much to hit, but if we can get through that initial period and keep wickets in hand there's no reason why we can't catch up and post a decent total," he said.

Taylor, however, insisted that all was still not lost and the home team can reclaim some pride by winning the remaining two matches in Bulawayo.

"There's always pride (to play for). We use that word a lot, because it's a privilege to represent your country. Just to be playing against the best team in the world, that's an honour in itself," he said.

After their third loss on the trot yesterday, Taylor said he could understand the fans' disappointment with the team.

"It hurts," Taylor conceded.

"It does hurt because they are passionate and they want us to do well, and today it was a bit disheartening to play the way we have played.

"But fortunately there's more cricket coming up and we haven't played our best cricket here but hopefully we can give the people of Bulawayo something to smile about," he said.

Talking about the Bulawayo leg of the series, Taylor said he expects the conditions to be a lot more easy for his batsmen there.

"Bulawayo is a bit more friendly in the morning to the batters, though there was a bit there against Bangladesh not too long ago so each side may have to be up against the ball nipping around a little bit," Taylor said.

"But that generally burns off pretty quickly and then it gets really good to bat on."