Bowlers made my job easier - Dhoni

Dhoni on winning moment


At the end of day two, Sourav Ganguly had said that South Africa's collapse in the first innings, during which they lost nine wickets for 113 runs, boosted India's confidence in the second. Perhaps he knew the bowlers had got the measure of the Green Park pitch, something Mahendra Singh Dhoni, captaining in his first Test, reiterated today after the dramatic win.

"In the second innings, everybody knew what lengths to bowl, and from what spots they would get variable bounce," Dhoni said, "The fast bowlers especially deserve a lot of credit in the second innings."

"Although this was the third day of the match, this was not a third-day pitch," Dhoni said.

"The way Harbhajan and Viru [Virender Sehwag] bowled, we knew it was going to be just a matter of time. There were no easy singles on offer, so we put a lot of pressure on them. We made sure they didn't take a single and go off strike."

"Well we did well, but it doesn't mean we are better off without Sachin or Anil. Who is there to replace Sachin? Who is there to replace Kumble? It is better to have them in the side than not, but the credit goes to the boys who stood up in their absence."