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InDepth headlines national business sports cricket regional entertainment technology world travel autos health | in-depth coverage > India-South Africa Test Series 2004 > Ganguly all praise for his Spin Twins 23.35 IST 02nd Dec 2004 By IndiaExpress Bureau 
Triumphant skipper Sourav Ganguly credited Harbhajan Singh for "turning he game around" but did not fail to mention the contribution of Anil Kumble to the eight-wicket victory that India registered against South Africa in Kolkata today.Ganguly also said he had feared that the match would peter out into a draw since the wicket was flat but was glad that the spinners exploited the rough well to fashion a 1-0 series win. "It was a pretty flat wicket. I was wondering whether the match would end in a draw, as the track was not giving any assistance to the bowlers. But the footmarks were pretty prominent and it helped the spinners (in the second innings)," he said at the presentation ceremony after the match. Ganguly said while Harbhajan did well in taking seven second innings wickets, Kumble's contribution could not be overlooked. "Anil also bowled well, sometimes you bowl well but don't get enough wickets. He kept it tight from the other end. Of course Harbhajan bowled very well and turned the game around." Praising Kumble for equalling Kapil Dev's record of taking maximum wickets for India, he said his commitment had been unwavering over the years. "I have been playing alongside Kumble for the last 10 years and his commitment is still the same," he said. On the other hand, rival captain Graeme Smith admitted that the side missed a specialist spinner who could have made all the difference to his team's fortunes. More Looking back, Smith said his team could have put itself in a winning position had it managed to score around 400 runs in the first innings. "Winning the toss and not being able to score 400 proved crucial. We did well in the second innings though. Had we set a target of 200, it would have been difficult to chase for India on a fifth day track," he said. Smith singled out Jacques Kallis for special praise for his 121 in the first innings and 55 in the second. "Kallis stood up, he took off a lot of heat from the guys. Ntini also bowled well, in fact the whole team showed a lot of determination." On coach Ray Jennings, who was on his first assignment here, he said, he had brought about a refreshing change with his new work ethics. "He is superb, I am sure he will get the results that he is hoping for in near future," he said adding the team would try to perform better in their upcoming series against England. Smith said the entire team had "enjoyed the Indian trip, the people and their culture." On the Eden's track, Sehwag said it was difficult to bat early on in the innings but once the batsman got into a groove he could not be dismissed easily. Man-of-the-match Harbhajan Singh said Eden Gardens has always been special for him, as it was here that he marked his comeback to cricket with a 13-wicket haul, including a hat-trick against Australia. Asked if he had some special strategy in place on Thursday, he said, "I just go out there, do my best and leave the rest to God." Harbhajan also said he was most pleased with his dismissal of Kallis. "He is a great player, the way he batted in both the innings, it was not easy. I was very pleased to get him out." in-depth coverage > India-South Africa Test Series 2004 > |
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