INDIA: CRICKET - Indian skipper Dravid praises young batsmen for one-day series win over Sri Lanka

Record ID: 1372134

  • Title: INDIA: CRICKET - Indian skipper Dravid praises young batsmen for one-day series win over Sri Lanka
  • Date: 4th November 2005
  • Summary: PUNE, INDIA (NOVEMBER 03, 2005) (ANI) POST-MATCH PRESS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) RAHUL DRAVID, INDIAN CRICKET CAPTAIN, SAYING: "We are just so happy that we won this game and we saw what our youngsters can do. You have just seen, I think one of the fantastic partnerships under pressure from two young boys who are playing their first year of international cricket. So, I think there is a bright batting future in India and we have seen that. And so yeah there is going to be opportunities in the next three games to look at few different combinations like we have in all the games." AJIT AGARKAR RECEIVING THE PLAYER OF THE MATCH TROPHY (SOUNDBITE) (English) AJIT AGARKAR, INDIAN PACEMAN, SAYING: "When given an opportunity I try and give my 100 percent and today was my day and it worked well for me and the bottom line is the team won. We won the series four nil and that's what all of us look at whether one is there in the team or not...This was a winning effort and so obviously this ranks higher than the one in Australia when we ended up losing that one. And we have won the series here so this ranks up higher." (SOUNDBITE) (English) TOM MOODY, SRI LANKA CRICKET COACH, SAYING: "It's not an ideal situation because India has played very well and we've got to accept that. Something that we need to concentrate now in the last three games is that make the improvements that we have done in the previous last two games."
  • Embargoed: 18th November 2005 21:42
  • Keywords:
  • Location: India
  • Country: India
  • Topics: Sport
  • Reuters ID: LVABLAVUDTXJE608ALXQH2Q8D9P9
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: India skipper Rahul Dravid praised his young batsmen after his team won the seven-match one-day series against Sri Lanka with an unassailable 4-0 lead on Thursday (November 3, 2005).
    Paceman Ajit Agarkar captured five wickets as India beat the visitors by four wickets in the fourth game in western Pune.
    Dravid, who chose to bowl in the morning, led the chase by top-scoring with 63, but his dismissal reduced the innings to 180 for six.
    Wicketkeeper Mahendra Dhoni, who scored an unbeaten 45 and youngster Suresh Raina with 39 not out then shared an unbroken 82-run seventh wicket partnership to seal victory.
    Dhoni, who smashed 183 not out -- the highest one-day score by a wicketkeeper -- in the third game on Monday, hit spinner Russel Arnold for two consecutive sixes at the end. "We are just so happy that we won this game and we saw what our youngsters can do. You have just seen, I think one of the fantastic partnerships under pressure from two young boys who are playing their first year of international cricket. So, I think there is a bright batting future in India and we have seen that. And so yeah there is going to be opportunities in the next three games to look at few different combinations like we have in all the games," Dravid told the post-match news conference.
    The 27-year-old Agarkar removed both openers and added three more scalps at the end in a splendid swing display to bowl out struggling Sri Lanka for 261 with a delivery to spare.
    Agarkar, who also took a catch and produced a direct run out, was named man of the match.
    Agarkar said he was happy that India won the series. "When given an opportunity I try and give my 100 percent and today was my day and it worked well for me and the bottom line is the team won. We won the series four nil and that's what all of us look at whether one is there in the team or not...This was a winning effort and so obviously this ranks higher than the one in Australia when we ended up losing that one. And we have won the series here so this ranks up higher," he said.
    India themselves faced some anxious moments before reaching 262 for six in 45.4 overs.
    Earlier Sri Lanka captain Marvan Atapattu top-scored with 87 and figured in two useful partnerships but a late order collapse and shoddy catching added to his team's woes. Sri Lanka were coasting at 231 in the 43rd over before losing their last five wickets for 30 runs. Sri Lanka's coach Tom Moody said the team would try to make amends in the next three matches. "It's not an ideal situation because India has played very well and we've got to accept that. Something that we need to concentrate now in the last three games is that make the improvements that we have done in the previous last two games," Moody said.
    The fifth game will be played in western Ahmedabad on November 6.
  • Copyright Holder: ANI (India)
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2014. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register