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Dhoni praises Praveen

Special Correspondent

Hobart: Mahendra Singh Dhoni said here on Tuesday that the gloves he wore early at the SCG, which were found to be illegal, were very close to what was legal.

“I don’t think there was much in it, but I didn’t want to enter into a controversy. In any case, it is a safe pair of hands rather than the webbing in the gloves that matters,” he said.

The Indian skipper complimented his bowlers for their performance in a crunch game.

“Praveen bowled well. His seam position is excellent and he is one of those bowlers who can surprise the batsmen with his pace. He got his first ODI wicket and then took some more. Ishant has been very consistent and he has done a lot of bowling on this tour.”

The skipper was pleased with Sachin Tendulkar’s effort. “You know with players like Sachin, they can get into form any time. You got to be careful while criticising him. He is so good.”

He said Virender Sehwag was left out since the side decided to play five bowlers. “It basically boils down to the team composition. The batsmen have done well in all the matches against Sri Lanka and we could afford to go a batsman short,” he said.

Confident

Dhoni said his team was confident going into the finals against Australia. He added that the Australians’ on-field behaviour left a lot to be desired. “They have been provoking the Indians,” he said, adding in a lighter vein, “sledging is an art.”

Man of the match Praveen said, “I concentrated on bowling in the right areas. Dhoni has been very encouraging. There was some movement in the pitch and it feels good to contribute to an Indian victory.”

Disappointing

Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene said his batsmen did not show character. “We played too many shots. We should have scored more. It is disappointing.”

Jayawardene said the Lankans had to be patient with the young batsmen. “They have the ability but they need some time. The domestic circuit in Sri Lanka is not very testing.”

He conceded that Muttiah Muralitharan was played well by both India and Australia in the CB series. “He did not bowl badly and the pacemen have been doing the job. Murali is a great bowler and should be back among the wickets soon.”

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