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Ganguly praises batsmen

By Our Special Correspondent

Baroda Nov. 16. It has been a horrendous experience for the bowlers, with the exception of Harbhajan Singh at the Motera on Friday.

The seven-match series for the TVS Cup has been a unique one with packed houses. Neither the Indian nor the West Indian batsmen have failed.

But after the breathtaking finish on Friday, India's captain had reason to be a happy man, having wiped out the deficit of two matches, winning back to back at Rajkot and Motera.

The run chase was very well planned. Ganguly said: "It was a big chase and we did it fairly easily, winning with 14 balls to spare. It was a very good effort.

This win has brought us back in the series, the big chase at Lord's won us the championship title. The win once again showed a lot of character of the players.''

Ganguly said he was not really surprised by Bangar's powerful batting display.

"When you pick a team, you always back the players and expect them to deliver. I wasn't surprised at all to see Bangar play so well. At 45 for two we were in a spot. I never thought that we would never get there to a total of 325 because all the batsman have been in form.

"It would be wrong on my part to say that we would not have got to the winning total. But I must say that Chris Gayle played an outstanding innings. Some of the shots he played were incredible. You have to give the bowlers some room in one-day cricket, but they have to improve.''

Rahul Dravid who scored his eighth century in limited over matches said: "I was not disappointed that the Man of the Match award went to Gayle. I have no regrets at all. It's important that the team won. Gayle played a fantastic knock. One hundred and forty runs is a lot in one-day cricket. He fully deserved the award.''

India's vice-captain, who had a great run in England, said that it was a nice feeling to have contributed to the team's win. "I am enjoying the roles of a wicketkeeper and a batsman. My position helps the balance of the team which looks strong. I was determined to stay positive, but when a few wickets fell, I decided to bat till the end.''

Dravid said picking the ball was a problem because it had become brown. "The West Indies pacemen really bowled well in the first 15 overs. The ball tended to skid. The outfield was wet and it was not easy for their bowlers to bowl well either.''

Sanjay Bangar and Murali Kartik came in for praise from Dravid. "Both played well and delivered. I thought it was a very good wicket. It would have been an interesting wicket for a Test match. There was bounce,'' said Dravid.

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