Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni praised England fast bowler James Anderson and said that he was the major difference between the two sides. Dhoni in the post match press conference said that Anderson’s ability to get reverse swing from the old ball made him very dangerous and he played a crucial role in his team’s series winning performance.
“He was at the batsmen all the time, specially the second and third spells of his where the ball had started to reverse and still was slightly on the harder side. He made the most out of that spell and kept the batsmen guessing. I think the major difference between the two sides was James Anderson who bowled very well,” Dhoni said.
Dhoni said that England were the better team and deserved to win. He also said that their team was very well balanced. “If you see their side, they are a very well balanced side. The two spinners they have got, Monty is a very good spinner and Graeme Swann is among the best in the world.”
Dhoni said that there were a few positives that the team can take out from this loss. There were a few positives and a few places where we lost out. That’s the reason we lost the series,” he said.
On the pitches that he got in the series Dhoni said, “The wicket at Mumbai was a very good wicket. Good bounce and turn was there for the spinners.”
On the Nagpur pitch he said, “I felt the wicket improved as we went into the fifth day. How many on-drives did we see on the first day, but today there were five to nine on-drives against the spin which means the grass grew and it made the track better paced for batsmen to play their strokes.”
On the defensive field that India put on the fourth and the fifth day, Dhoni said, “We bowled for ten hours and got three batsmen out; you have to evaluate the wicket from this. We can keep three or four slips but the wicket should really support that. Okay I did not have a silly point or a short leg for a long time but how many balls went there?”
Dhoni backed the young players in the team and said that they should be given a longer run. “You have to back youngsters who you think are very talented and can succeed at the top level even if they fail initially. Without trying them out how will you know? It’s difficult to replace Rahul Dravid or VVS Laxman or Sachin Tendulkar. What’s important is whether the youngster coming in can absorb the pressure,” he said.
On the Indian fielding, Dhoni said, “We have seen some improvement especially in this Test match where we had a few young players who we could place at points and restrict them from taking singles and rotating the strike. Yes, a few catches were dropped, but that again is part and parcel of the game.”
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