Upfront

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01i01b00Rahul Dravid02b00 played the shot of a defeated man in India's virtual knockout by Sri Lanka at the Queen's Park Oval. Hobbling on one foot, watching the wickets go down and the required rate go up, he began throwing about his bat, ultimately holing out, having just taken 17 from a Lasith Malinga over. It was the cricketing equivalent of his expression as he faced the press for a long interrogation later.02i02br
01b00Do you regret your decision at the toss?02b02br
00 Not really, there was something in the wicket early on. It was the right decision, we bowled quite well. We did not have luck upfront beat the bats a few times, hit the pads a few times. They played well after that to reach 250. 02br
01b00What are your plans for the future?02b02br
00It's too early really to think about anything. A lot of hard work has gone into the preparation in the last year and to be knocked out of the tournament so early is a huge disappointment for all of us. 02br
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00My question is on the word 'upfront' .02br
00My dictionary says it is an adjective and it means frank or straightforward.02br
00The other meaning is paid in advance.02br
00What is the meaning here? I can't fathom out the meaning.0-