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Dravid 'surprised' by easy win
Stand-in captain Rahul Dravid today said he was surprised by the ease with which India won its first-ever Test on Pakistan soil.
- Indo-Asian News Service
- Updated: February 25, 2007 09:06 AM IST
Read Time:3 min
Multan:
Stand-in captain Rahul Dravid today said he was surprised by the ease with which India won its first-ever Test on Pakistan soil but cautioned his players against dropping their guard in the remaining two Test matches. Dravid said the "special" win against arch-rivals Pakistan in such conditions reflected the team's commitment and eagerness to do well and improve its record on overseas tours. "To be honest, I was suprised by the ease with which we achieved the victory. Seeing the flat track on the first day, I thought the match will go on till the very end. But it was a great team effort, the batsmen and the bowlers all helped for this victory," Dravid told a press conference after India recorded a historic Test win on Pakistani soil by beating the hosts by an innings and 52 runs. 'Fantastic achievement' Dravid said to win a Test match in Pakistan was a "fantastic" achievement and it spoke volumes about the determination and the quality of the team. "It is a fantastic achievement. It speaks volumes of the team's determination. The young guys really stood up and performed. Kumble was brilliant and took the maximum wickets, but Pathan and Balaji also bowled very well. It was a good team effort in the end," Dravid said. "It is a special moment for the team, the boys will be proud. We will celebrate the victory and then get down to work as usual. It is important that we carry on in the same vein," said the player who will also lead the side in the second Test starting in Lahore on Monday. "It is a privilege to captain a team which could take 20 wickets on such a flat track. A lot of credit should go to the bowlers who bowled so well despite not getting much help from the pitch." Hard work Asked how this team was different from other Indian sides, Dravid said, "the team's success is mainly because of a combination of factors. We have realised that we have to get better and better and the team works harder to achieve that. "It also has something to do with the domestic structure which has produced some talented cricketers. The support staff has also helped us to improve," he said. On what he thought was the turning point of the match, Dravid said, "it is difficult to identify one moment which can be described as a turning point. But I think the run out of Inzamam-ul Haq in the second innings was an important point". Dravid felt that the toss was not such a vital factor in this match. "It was nice to win the toss, but just winning the toss does not put you in a position to win the match. You have to play good cricket on all the five days to win". On whether the team will miss the services of Sourav Ganguly and pace spearhead Zaheer Khan in the second Test, he said "experience is not easy to replace. Injuries are part and parcel of the game, and the team has to learn to cope with them and adjust." (PTI)Topics mentioned in this article
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