da luck： ‘The confidence has been high and a number of youngsters have come through and performed ‘ – Rahul Dravid
da 888： Siddhartha Vaidyanathan at Baroda12-Nov-2005Rahul Dravid
On the emphatic win
‘The confidence has been high and a number of youngsters have come through and performed ‘ – Rahul Dravid © Getty Images
I think it was a really good way to finish. We’ve put in another good team performance which is probably indicative of the way we’ve played throughout. There’s not much time to relax between the two series and we need to recharge ourselves before it.On whether he expected such a win
I had a lot of belief and confidence in the side but we were playing a very good one-day side, a very good team. Once we won the initial few games and got on a roll, I knew we were onto something special and we were playing very good cricket. I knew we would get such results if we played like that throughout the series.On the most satisfying aspect of this series
We have different players performing in different games. The confidence has been high and a number of youngsters have come through and performed. Having said that, I don’t think the result is indicative of the difference between the two sides.On the improvements he is looking at
We’re always looking to improve and keep getting better. We are looking to take on new challenges.On the pitch for the game
There was something in it for the bowlers and it got slower and lower as the day progressed. I would have chosen to field had I won the toss. I thought all our medium-pacers bowled well up front and RP Singh did a great job in the middle overs. We knew we needed a good start while chasing a target like 240 and didn’t want their spinners to have a role later on. The impetus we got early on helped us to reach the target easily.On Virender Sehwag’s form
We can’t have everyone performing all the time. His batting was fantastic today and it’s just a matter of getting one good score to get a series of good scores. It was unfortunate that he got out today. We’re really backing him to win us the series against South Africa.On the benefits of experimenting with different players and different strategies
I think it challenges people to perform different roles – for batsmen to bat in different positions, for bowlers to bowl at different times. It stimulated them to perform under different conditions and that can only help. By playing in certain situations, they can only improve as cricketers. If we provide everyone in the team challenges, it will simulate and excite them rather than be unsettling for them. Just keeping them mentally and emotionally fresh is important. I’d want to have such players, instead of those who aren’t thinking about their games.On promoting Irfan Pathan to No.2
We were a bit influenced by the fact that it was his home town but it was also because we needed some impetus up front while chasing the target. We wanted to send both Irfan and Dhoni early so that they could give us some good impetus at the top of the order.On his thoughts on the South Africa series
It’s a very good challenge. Graeme Smith leads a side that is on a roll at the moment but they haven’t played much on the subcontinent. It should be a good series and it’s important to maintain these standards.Mahendra Singh DhoniOn his ability to play different sort of innings
I’ve been given different responsibilities and I am trying to play according to that. I’ve had to bat differently because of batting in different slots. At Jaipur we were chasing a big target and I went for my shots. In Pune we needed somebody to finish it off. Here it was similar.On the youngsters doing well in this series
We have some young players who are contributing to the side’s fielding but the seniors are also fielding well. Most of us were given certain roles and we stuck to them well.On batting in different positions
I’ve played a lot of domestic cricket and batted at different slots in the four-day games. That has definitely helped me in adjusting here.
