The Hindu : Sport : Exceptional partnership: Dravid

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Friday, May 11, 2007
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Exceptional partnership: Dravid

Special Correspondent

DHAKA : India skipper Rahul Dravid gave credit to M. S. Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik for the five-wicket victory over Bangladesh here on Thursday.

"The partnership between Dhoni and Karthik was really special. The conditions were difficult. Under those conditions, that pressure, the partnership was exceptional. The way they controlled the innings, not taking many risks, was very good."

Terming the win as satisfactory, Dravid admitted, "There are some areas we can get better at. But to come from a position we were in and to win is a huge credit to the boys."

On Dhoni being promoted to number three, Dravid said, "We knew that the ball comes on to the bat early when it is new. Dhoni has got the ability to think and he does not play in just one fashion."

Dravid praised Karthik lavishly. "He has been taken in this team as a batsman. He has shown enough ability and promise with the bat to be considered as a batsman. Of course he is a wicketkeeper and that is another string in his bow. Even in his short international career he has seen us to a victory in Cuttack, nearly saw us to victory in Rajkot. He finished a close Twenty20 game for us (in South Africa), he has batted brilliantly in a Test match abroad. So let's not label him just as a wicketkeeper. ''

Coach Ravi Shastri described the team as a "great bunch.'' The camaraderie, in his views, was "excellent and what you really need is a couple of wins like this to get the guys back on track. "

Dhoni, the star of the day, admitted it was one of the best innings he had played. "The conditions here were favouring the bowlers, particularly the left-arm spinners. I think it was quite tough. Yuvraj really helped me a lot; he ran quite a few runs for me."

On his rapport with Karthik, Dhoni said, "It is a healthy competition and it must be a worrying sign for batsmen in India as we are doing well."

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