Friday 27th November 2009
Dhoni hails openers after victory
Mahendra Singh Dhoni credited his opening batsmen after India crushed Sri Lanka by an innings and 144 runs in the second Test at Kanpur.
Sri Lanka were bowled out for 229 and 269 chasing India's massive total of 642.
Although Sreesanth claimed man of the match honours following a five-wicket haul in Sri Lanka's first innings, the India captain piled the plaudits on Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag, who put on 233 for the opening partnership on day one to put Sri Lanka under immediate pressure.
"I felt it was very important, the amount of runs we scored on the first day put pressure on the Sri Lanka batting side," Dhoni said.
"The wicket was good, slower with a low bounce. It was a good toss to win."
Sreesanth claimed the headlines after a fine performance on his return from a long-term absence, taking six wickets in all at a cost of 122 runs.
"God's been kind. I have lots of people to thank," he said. "I'm working on my pace, trying to get it to the 145 (kph) mark, I'm feeling good.
"There is room for improvement and I want to keep on learning."
It was India's 100th victory in Test cricket and Dhoni credited Sreesanth for his part in the success.
"I don't think anybody expected a seamer to run away with a five-wicket haul but he did," Dhoni said.
"He bowled really well, came steaming in and consistently hit good areas.
"More importantly he controlled his emotions and he has definitely cut down on his antics.
"He was aggressive, but in a different way and that is good for him and the team," he said.
Man of the match Sreesanth last played a Test in April last year when injury forced him out of contention.
In the period in between, he had made headlines for his erratic behaviour off the field, but he was handed a lifeline when he was surprisingly picked for the Test team.
Dhoni said Sreesanth, who was drafted in for the second Test at the expense of Ishant Sharma, had been an automatic choice.
"Before the start of this match we knew we would have reverse swing at this ground and Sreesanth along with Zaheer Khan are the best swing bowlers we have got," Dhoni said.
"He was bowling well in the nets as well," he said.
Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara admitted there was not much his side could do after conceding 400 runs on the opening day.
"We created a couple of chances early on but we didn't take them and when the openers get 200 and the opposition gets 400 on the opening day, you're behind the eight ball," he said.
"There was some exceptional stuff from Sreesanth when we were batting, a great first innings by India and a poor one from us. That decided the match."
The third and final Test starts on Wednesday, with Sri Lanka needing the win.
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"Every Test match offers an opportunity to come back," Sangakkara added. "The team is hurting right now, they are disappointed with themselves, but we're mentally pretty strong and we want to come back and win the Test match.
"We want to set the tone and take any opportunities we create early on."
However, Dhoni's team will have confidence on their side in Mumbai.
"It was important to get some big momentum on our side going into the final Test match," he said. "I'm sure the wickets are going to be something different for the fast bowlers and the spinners so let's hope for some exciting cricket."
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