A long batting line-up and the confidence of chasing big targets enabled India surpass the sizeable Pakistani total in the third one-day international at the Gaddafi stadium in Lahore on Saturday, said skipper Rahul Dravid, reflecting on the five-wicket victory.
"We had the confidence of chasing the target set by Pakistan. We have the batting strength and depth and we also chase well. But we knew we had to play really well and we batted very well. Sachin (Tendulkar), Yuvraj (Singh) and (Mahendra Singh) Dhoni all played a crucial part," he said.
Describing Tendulkar's innings of 95 as a "special one", he said the senior player of the team gauged the situation splendidly and played according to the need of the hour.
Scorecard | Images | Prem's Blog
"He sized up the situation very early on. There was help for the bowlers when the ball was hard and new and he knew he had to play cautiously. He controlled the innings beautifully. It was one of the best innings of several played by him on a difficult pitch. It was a special one," said Dravid.
He was also effusive in his praise of Yuvraj, who not only crafted a well-knit 79 not out, but was also involved in two important century stands -- 105 for the fourth wicket with Tendulkar and the match-winning 102 for the sixth with Dhoni.
"Yuvraj was always a very good player and he has come on very well on this tour in which he has climbed to a new level. He has matured immensely as a player and he stayed till the end today. He batted differently at different stages today; aggressively when Tendulkar was there and then when Dhoni was there he allowed him to take over the attack," the Indian captain said.
Dravid, who put Pakistan in to bat, admitted that he was not sure what to do after winning the toss as an 11 am start was new for his team.
"Let me admit, I was a bit confused what to do. A 11 am start was new to us. We did not know how things would be while batting under lights, especially during twilight hours. We also dropped a few catches. But it was a fair wicket throughout with the new ball doing something in the second innings too," the Bangalore stalwart pointed out.
He said it was not fair to blame the Pakistan bowlers for the result.
"We batted very well and that's the reason we won. It's not fair to say they did not bowl well. We chased a big target and did it well. We had some support in the crowd and so too did Pakistan. In the end it was a very good game and I am sure the crowd enjoyed it and were happy to see a good match. It was played in good spirits," he said.
However, Dravid cautioned that work was not over yet and the team had to guard against complacency.
"Every day is a new day. I have been saying Pakistan are a very good team at home. We have to play very well in the remaining two matches to clinch the series."
