Mahendra Singh Dhoni says he looks at the process rather than the results.
“There have been a number of positives for us in South Africa and here if you compare it with the earlier series,” the India captain said here on Tuesday.
India has not won a Test abroad since Kingston, Jamaica in 2011. Subsequently, the side has lost 10 out of 14 Tests.
Dhoni said he was satisfied with the display of his bowlers. “The intensity with which they bowled, even with the third new ball was something to be admired. There was not much in the wicket but they still kept hitting the pitch hard.”
Questioned about India’s failure to win matches from dominant positions — both here and at the Wanderers — Dhoni said, “It is not the case of us alone not capitalising. You have to give credit to the opposition too. I thought New Zealand batted very well.”
Outstanding innings
On McCullum’s triple century Dhoni said, “More than the number of runs he made, if you look at the number of balls he faced, it was an outstanding innings. He just batted on and on.”
Dhoni was pleased with senior left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan’s five-wicket haul in the second innings. “If you look at the way he bowled in the first Test in South Africa and now, there is a big improvement. He bowled extremely well here.”
On the openers, Dhoni said, “Dhawan has made runs which is good for us. Vijay has looked very good at the nets but did not get many runs in the Tests. We back our openers.
It is a difficult job here with the new Kookaburra ball doing a lot in the early overs. Even if the wicket is flat, their job is hard.”
“He said the batsmen had been improving and cited the examples of Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane who made centuries in the series.
