Rahul Dravid said Dinesh Karthick and Wasim Jaffer's rollicking opening stand was the key to the convincing Test win against Bangladesh on Sunday.
DHAKA: Indian skipper Rahul Dravid said Dinesh Karthick and Wasim Jaffer's rollicking opening stand was the key to the convincing Test win against Bangladesh here on Sunday.
"It was good effort from everybody… a good Test match as we piled up a huge score and then knocked them off twice," Dravid said after India thrashed Bangladesh by an innings and 239 runs to win the two-match Test series 1-0.
"The key was the (175-run) opening partnership. Karthick and Wasim set up the match. They batted in tough conditions and the kind of start that they gave us put the opposition on the back foot," Dravid said.
Asked about Jaffer's hundred after his pair in the first Test, Dravid praised the Mumbai batsman for his fighting spirit.
"I hope he makes it a habit (scoring runs). He has all the attributes of being a good cricketer and it is upto him to come up with more such knocks," Dravid said.
On makeshift opener Karthick, Dravid said, "He has staked a claim as an opening batsman. We gave him an opportunity and he utilised it. Now the onus is on him to keep performing."
Dravid said playing the match with five bowlers proved to be an important and right decision.
"We needed five bowlers here because the conditions were tough. We needed to rotate them and the team management came out with the right decision," he said.
Dravid praised his bowlers for snuffing the life out of Bangladesh batsmen right from the start.
"Zaheer broke the back of the Bangladesh batting and then everybody chipped in," he said.
About Ravi Shastri, whose term with the team ended with the series, Dravid said, "He has been a positive influence on the team. He has so much of experience, it is a pleasure to have him here. We enjoyed the stint with him."
Bangladesh skipper Habibul Bashar admitted that his decision to field first back-fired.
"We thought there was some moisture in the wicket and we could get some early wickets. So we decided to field but nothing happened. It was hard work for the bowlers," he said.
Bashar said the miserable showing of the top order increased the batting woes of his team.
"The top order is a concern and needs to put in consistent performance. It is important to start the innings well. We are playing Test matches after a long time, probably that is the reason. I hope we score runs at the right time in the next series," he said.
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