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| April 16, 2006 | Sunday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 17, 1427 |
Dravid dedicates victory to team effort
INDORE, April 15: India’s cricket captain Rahul Dravid hailed the 5-1 One-day International series victory over England on Saturday as a team effort.
“It's a most satisfying way to the end the series,” Dravid said after the seven-wicket victory.
“It's always nice to end with a win and the fact that we won the game convincingly chasing 290 was excellent.
“The spirit and the attitude the boys have shown has been the biggest plus. The way we fought back from the loss of the Mumbai Test was brilliant,” the Indian skipper said. The tourists had won the final Test to square the series 1-1.
Dravid said it was difficult to single out an individual for the success, “Everyone has done well at various stages.”
India have won 17 of their 22 ODIs under Dravid while left-hander Yuvraj Singh recorded a hat-trick of man of the series awards.
The burly left-hander made an undefeated 63 and along with Suresh Raina (53) guided India to the finish.
“I think a little bit of responsibility has helped him,” Dravid remarked.
“He is mentally a more seasoned cricketer now, he feels more relaxed because he is a regular and important member of both the Test and one-day sides.
“Plus, he is batting a lot straighter. I hope he carries on like this because the way he has finished off games with (Mahendra) Dhoni and Raina makes for a potent combination.”
Yuvraj hoped to take his form forward. “The important thing is that I have learnt a lot. This season has been very good for me, and I am hoping it gets better,” he said.
He was adjudged man of the series in the home series against South Africa late last year and in Pakistan earlier this year.
“The hundred in Sri Lanka in July sort of kick-started things, and I have continued from there on,” he said.
“Along the way, a lot of people have helped me -- my team-mates, the coaching staff -- and I have made a few adjustments as well,” Yuvraj added.
Losing stand-in English captain Andrew Strauss said his inexperienced England team have gained a lot of experience during their Indian tour despite losing the one-day series.
“The young seam attack did very well in testing conditions,”
Strauss, who led in the last two ODIs in the absence of a resting Andrew Flintoff, said on Saturday after the defeat.
England were missing several key players, including regular captain Michael Vaughan, vice captain Marcus Trescothick and fast bowlers Steve Harmison and Simon Jones, during the series.
“We've gained a lot of experience about what it takes to win in these conditions which are very foreign to us,” said Strauss.
“Momentum's very important and India are on a bit of a roll at the moment. Whenever you're missing experienced players, it's going to be tough. Even India found that in the last game.
“It'll stand us in good stead to have more players with international experiences ahead of challenges like the Champions Trophy and the World Cup,” Strauss commented.
England's misfiring batting, Strauss felt, was the difference between the two teams.—Reuters
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