Dhoni hails bowlers after India square series |
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Sunday April 13, 08:49 PM
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By N.Ananthanarayanan
KANPUR, India (Reuters) - India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni credited his side's disciplined bowling on a turning pitch after they defeated South Africa by eight wickets in the third and final test on Sunday to square the series.
India skittled the tourists out for 121 in their second innings, their third lowest total against India, before coasting to the small victory target of 62 on the third evening.
"Most of the times we got wickets just after bowling changes, but the appreciation and credit should go to the bowlers," he told reporters. "There was assistance, but they bowled really well, especially the fast bowlers.
"In the second innings, everybody knew what lengths to bowl."
Indian off spinner Harbhajan Singh and part-time slow bowler Virender Sehwag grabbed seven scalps in the South African second innings as the last eight wickets fell for 56 runs.
Harbhajan took seven wickets in the match while young pacemen Ishant Sharma bowled impressively to claim five.
"The way Harbhajan and Viru bowled, it was just a matter of time," he said. "There were no easy singles on offer, so we put a lot of pressure on them."
Dhoni rejected criticism that the pitch was prepared only because India slumped to an innings defeat on a green surface in the second test.
"If we go to Australia we get bouncy tracks, in England it swings, in New Zealand it seams," he said. "When you come to India you expect turning and bouncing tracks. That's what this one was.
"It's better to stick to the specialities of certain places."
He said India's positive batting in the first innings, led by Saurav Ganguly (87) and Vangipurappu Laxman (50), proved vital.
"It was very crucial the way Saurav batted on this track and the 60-odd run lead was very crucial, because it changed the whole mindset of the team batting next."
He also praised the team for overcoming the absence of Kumble and premier batsman Sachin Tendulkar, who is also injured.
"It's pretty hard to replace a man like Kumble, especially on such a wicket," he said. "Had he been playing, I don't think this would have lasted three days."
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