Whatever we could have done, we tried, says Dhoni after blaming top-order

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has blamed his batting line-up for the humiliating defeat in England.

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Dhoni said continuous failure affected the confidence of their top-order as they could not absorb the pressure but at the same time he blamed lack of experience for India's meek 1-3 surrender in the series, which concluded in London on Sunday.

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"The top-order felt the pressure of not scoring, that's what you have to do in Test cricket, absorb pressure. A bit more application from the batsmen and it would have been better," Dhoni said after India lost the fifth Test by an innings and 244 runs.

"Right from the start, our batsmen never really performed, the lower order helped out. That camouflaged the performance of the top order, just scoring 150-60 runs will not be enough to defend against the home team," he added.

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Asked about the English conditions, Dhoni said, "It's demanding but the wickets were good, nice pace and bounce. In the overcast conditions the fast bowlers get swing and the English bowlers were very consistent."

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The Indian captain though hoped that his young players will take their lessons from the series and play better when they come to England next time.

"We've lost a lot of confidence over the five-Test series. It is disappointing, there will be many experiences which the youngsters will learn - not too many have played Tests away from home and hopefully they can take that it into the future. "

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Dhoni said there was nothing he could have done differently to make things better for his side.

"We did everything we could have done. If we went in with Rohit (Sharma), the difficulty was who to leave out. Ajinkya Rahane had scored a hundred at Lord's. Pujara bats at number three, Virat at four and then me. Whatever we could have done, we tried," he said.

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Dhoni said not having the experience of playing in England was a factor in his young side's dismal show.

“A five-Test series was very demanding, you could see with Bhuvneshwar, the effects on him but we couldn't replace him.

“Our playing XI didn't have many Tests, so we are lacking experience but until they play international cricket, they won't get that. It's important to play here, learn lessons and come back strong," he added.