Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said when he declared to set a target of 281 to the West Indies, he added 30 more runs to the number because of the slow outfield due to rain at the Kensington Oval.
He said “I thought 281 to get in 80 odd overs was always going to be difficult. The outfield was slow. It was also not easy to play strokes. Unless you bowled really poorly, it was hard to score freely.”
Dhoni was pragmatic about India failing to clinch the series in the second Test. “Rain or bad light are not in our control. There is no reason why we should be disappointed. Ishant was brilliant and there were good contributions from Laxman, Dravid and Raina. We have really done well as a team here.”
The Indian captain was appreciative of Ishant Sharma's ten-wicket haul in the match. “He has bowled in the right areas. And he has bowled with a great seam position and rhythm. This is the reason he is up in pace and bounce. He has been the pick of our bowlers. Right from the IPL, he has been bowling really well.”
Dhoni added Ishant had taken on the additional responsibility of being the leader of the pace pack. “Zak (Zaheer Khan) shared a lot of his experience with him and Ishant is now doing the same with the other pace bowlers.”
The Indian skipper had words of comfort for the out-of-form Murali Vijay who has been left out of the Test team to England. “He has the talent and spends a lot of time improving his game. I am sure he would have learnt much from the series in South Africa and the Tests here.” On Virat Kohli, another batsman struggling for runs, Dhoni said, “After the end of a session or a day, you have to tell him not to get bogged down when he starts again. It has been a good exposure for him and a learning experience. Performance is not always in the control of a player.”
Dhoni chose not to comment on the wrong replay shown in the first innings which led to his dismissal off a no-ball. He was silent too on umpire Daryl Harper pulling out of the final Test in Dominica. West Indies captain Darren Sammy believed his side was in with a good chance to win. “We had the opportunity. The coach (Ottis Gibson) had divided the chase into stages. With 15 overs remaining, we were right on course,” he said.
He added, “I think our tailenders too are capable of batting for long periods. I am happy with the result. We can level the series in Dominica.”
Sammy was critical of his side's batting for not scoring 300 plus runs in the first innings after India had been dismissed for 201. “Although Samuels and Bravo batted well in the match, we could have done better, particularly in the first innings.”
However, he backed senior batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan who has been out of sorts in the series. “He is experienced but is going through a lean patch. We will give him all the encouragement he needs.”
On Ishant Sharma's bowling, Sammy said, “He was running in with rhythm and extracted lift. We would look at his footage and play him better. Our bowlers too have done well.”
