Dhoni pleased with Sreesanth's behaviour

November 27, 2009 05:01 pm | Updated November 17, 2021 10:47 am IST - Kanpur

MS Dhoni and Sreesanth.

MS Dhoni and Sreesanth.

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni admitted it was a good toss for India to win. He said here on Friday after India's comprehensive win in the second Test, “The conditions were pretty flat for batting on day one. It became harder to score as the match progressed. The surface became slower with the odd ball keeping low.”

Dhoni added there was no appreciable help for the spinners. “There were some footmarks for the spinners to exploit and some turn. But since there was little bounce for them, the pitch was not really conducive to spin. This was a far different pitch from the one on, which we played here against South Africa last time.”

Asked about his team achieving India's 100th Test win, he said, “It's a privilege to a part of such an occasion. The credit goes to everyone, the former players and the present cricketers.”

He also acknowledged the performance of S. Sreesanth. “He bowled in the right areas, got the ball to swing.”

He was also pleased with Sreesanth's behaviour and attitude in the Test. “He was aggressive but he controlled his aggression. As long as he does not cross the line, it is good for everyone, teammates, captain, the umpires and the match-referee.”

Dhoni had words of praise for the other bowlers as well. “Ojha bowled well on his debut, supported Harbhajan. And Zaheer backed up Sreesanth.”

The opening partnership between Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir on day one was vital, he said. “Whenever, we have had a good opening stand, in Test cricket or in the ODIs, we have done well.”

On the lack of resistance from Sri Lanka, he said, “Once they were more than four hundred behind in the first innings and followed on, they were down mentally. This is a mental game.”

He added, “We were also lucky in the Test. Inside-edges hit the stumps and there was a crucial run-out. We have not always been lucky.”

Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara said his team conceded too much ground on the first day. “India scored over 400 on the first day and from there it was always difficult.”

He rued the dropped catches on the first morning. “The pacemen created the opportunities but we could not take them. And the Indian openers put on a big partnership. Had we restricted India to around 400 in the first innings, things could have been different. The pitch was extremely flat in the beginning. Then it slowed down and the bowl kept low.”

Sangakkara said his attack looked capable of taking 20 wickets in a Test but added, “To have the potential is one thing, delivering is another. We could do with some more penetration in our spin bowling.”

On spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan's lacklustre form in the series he said, “It is a concern when your premier strike bowler is not picking wickets. But we will continue to back him to come good.”

He was appreciative of Sreesanth's bowling and admitted his team had been outplayed by a better team.

Dwelling on the crucial run-out of Mahela Jayawardene on day three, he said, “It was a bad judgment call on my part.”

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