Saturday, March 21, 2009

Dhoni hails Tendulkar and bowlers after historic win

Hamilton, Mar 21 (PTI) India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni today lavished praise on Sachin Tendulkar and his bowling unit for scripting the team's thumping 10-wicket triumph in the first cricket Test against New Zealand.
Dhoni said Tendulkar, who smashed a masterly 160 in the first innings, looked at his best.
"I think New Zealand bowlers bowled in the right areas. They didn't get wickets but it was hard to score against them. That was the time Sachin was at his best. If there was a bad ball, he made the most out of it and he made it a point that their bowlers stayed long in the field.
"It was difficult for bowlers to bowl again at their best, having already bowled 20-22 overs. That's when you cash in on, set big partnership or contribute with the tail-enders also chipping in...It was a fantastic innings from Sachin," Dhoni gushed.
The Indian skipper patted the bowlers too for their superlative performance which vindicated Dhoni's decision to insert New Zealand after winning the toss.
"We chose to field first and the bowlers proved that my decision was right. We got six early wickets and after lunch, the pitch become easy to bat on and it was not more easy getting wickets," Dhoni explained.
He singled out spinner Harbhajan Singh, who scalped six for 63 in the second innings, for special praise.

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