Ganguly defends delayed declaration

Rifat Jawaid in Calcutta

Victorious India captain Sourav Ganguly justified what many thought was a delayed declaration by him on the fifth and final day of the second Test at the Eden Gardens.

Talking to reporters after the match, a visibly exhausted Ganguly said he wanted to put up a reasonable total to put the Australians under pressure.

"We had a lead of 321 at the end of the fourth day. We decided to score quick runs when [VVS] Laxman and [Rahul] Dravid resumed their innings on the fifth day. Our strategy was to reach a stage where a win was certain. After all, I didn't want to take any chance since the Aussies have a very good batting side.

"When we had an enough total, we decided to put enough close-in fielders for catching. And, thankfully, the game plan worked," Ganguly said.

Lashing out at the media, which came down heavily on his team following the meek surrender in the Bombay Test, the skipper said the victory should serve as a lesson for them.

"The lessons to be learnt from this game are not only for the team but for everybody who had begun writing obituaries on the Indian team. Two things that one musn't forget now is that never ever give up and never write off any one in cricket. It's shameful when your own people begin to take you apart when you lose one game. But cricket is a great leveler and God was with us."

India cricket coach John Wright congratulated the players for their "splendid effort and determination". He said it is never easy to win a Test after being forced to follow-on and singled out Harbhajan Singh, Dravid and Laxman for special mention.

He, however, warned against complacency.

"We need to work hard for the third Test, which is barely three days away from now. Indeed today's [Thursday's] victory has come as a great morale booster for all of us. But we've got to build on the advantages we have acquired in this Test. They [the boys] will have some rest tonight and get back to business from tomorrow [Friday]," he said.

While praising the "knowledgeable" Calcutta crowd, the New Zealander commended the groundsmen for preparing a "sporting" wicket for the Test.

Match report - Day 5
Bahutule, Nilesh Kulkarni in team for final Test

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