The Hindu : Sport : Credit should go to the bowlers: Dhoni

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Credit should go to the bowlers: Dhoni

Sports Reporter

— Photo: S. Subramanium

JOY RIDE: The Indian players take a victory lap along with Man-of-the-Series Harbhajan Singh.

KANPUR: Indian captain M.S. Dhoni praised his bowlers for the side’s eight-wicket win over South Africa in the third Test here.

“Most of the time, we got wickets just after enforcing bowling changes. The appreciation and the credit should go to the bowlers. There was assistance for them in the wicket, but they bowled really well.

“In the second innings, especially, everybody knew what lengths to bowl. Using the part-time bowlers like Sehwag and Yuvraj was a deliberate decision,” he added.

No complaints

The wicket-keeper captain had no complaints about the nature of the wicket. “If we go to Australia we get bouncy tracks, when we go to England the ball swings and when we go to New Zealand, the ball seams. Likewise, when you come to India, you expect spin and bounce.

“It’s better to stick to the speciality of a place. Anyway, it’s not only about the wicket you’re playing on. The credit should be given to the bowlers and the batsmen.

“This would usually be a fourth day wicket. The way Harbhajan and Viru bowled, it was just a matter of time before the batsmen were dismissed. There were no easy singles on offer, so we put a lot of pressure on them,” he added.

Agreeing with what Ganguly said on Saturday, the captain stressed on the benefits of positive cricket.

“To play positive on this wicket is very important. You can get out irrespective of whether you are playing your shots or not, like what happened to Rahul Dravid. You have to keep scoring on such tracks.

Crucial

“Sourav’s innings was very crucial and the 60-run lead was very crucial because it changed the whole mindset of the South African team,” Dhoni said.

On his decision to open with Harbhajan, he said: “We knew it would turn rightaway, and since the seam was more prominent there would be more bounce too. We also wanted to a seamer-spinner combination on. It kept the pacers fresh.”

The skipper was pleased with his ’keeping despite the difficult conditions.

“It was turning square and most of our spinners were bowling on the rough. I was quite happy with the way I kept, because some balls were kicking and some were keeping really low. The way the fast bowlers were bowling they could have hurt my fingers, but overall it was good fun.”

Playing without Anil Kumble and Sachin Tendulkar, Dhoni said, was tough but a challenge his team responded to. “It’s pretty hard to replace a man like Kumble, especially on such a wicket. Had he played, I don’t think this would have lasted three days.

Irreplaceable

“We did well, but it doesn’t mean we are better off without Sachin or Kumble. Who is there to replace them? It is better to have them in the side, but credit to the boys for doing well in their absence,” Dhoni added.

Despite the loss at Ahmedabad, Dhoni said the side was pleased with the overall result.

“After Chennai, we wanted to win but lost the Ahmedabad game. We needed to win here and that’s what we did, so overall we are pretty happy.”

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