 Dhoni receives the trophy at the end of the match in Mohali |
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni defended his side's tactics after the second Test against England at Mohali ended in a draw. The home side batted slowly in the last session of the fourth day's play and did not declare on the final day until it was too late for either side to win. Dhoni said uncertainty about whether fog would delay the start of the final day had influenced his decision. "We weren't really sure whether the fog would be there or not," he explained. "We were leading in the series, we didn't want to give England any chance. We were not sure about the weather - you're thinking 350 runs [target], but it can be easily achieved if 90 overs were possible." The fog in fact delayed the start of play for two and half hours, but India, who led by 285 overnight, chose to give Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj the chance to try and complete hundreds, rather than declare. Both players fell short, Yuvraj being run out for 86 and Gambhir being caught by Ian Bell off Graeme Swann for 97. "It was the team's decision to let them score their centuries. Unfortunately, they couldn't do it, but it was the team's decision," said Dhoni. The result gave India a 1-0 win in the series, which lifted them to second place behind Australia in the ICC Test rankings.  | 606: DEBATE |
But Dhoni insisted: "Whether we are top of the chart, third or fourth position doesn't matter. We are enjoying the cricket we are playing. We are backing each other and enjoying each other's success. That is what is important." He declined to single out individual contributions for special praise, and instead focused on the overall spirit within the team. "The conditions at Chennai and Mohali were tough for the fast bowlers but they took responsibility when needed - and the batsmen, whenever we needed a big partnership there was one. "There were situations where we lost a few wickets but someone stood up and said, 'I'll be the person that takes the team through'. So, a very good team effort," Dhoni added. Seam bowler Zaheer Khan was named Man of the Series after taking eight wickets at a cost of only 21 runs each, but he gave some of the credit for his performance to new ball partner Ishant Sharma. "It's good to bowl in tandem with him because I can maintain my line and length and do a restricting job, with him as the attacking bowler," Zaheer commented.
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