Indian skipper Anil Kumble said on Monday his team's resolute display has held out promise for a series triumph Down Under sooner than later.
ADELAIDE: India might have once again fallen just short of upstaging Australia in their own backyard but skipper Anil Kumble said on Monday his team's resolute display has held out promise for a series triumph Down Under sooner than later.
"Looking at the talent, I am sure they would step up the plate in future. Next Indian team which tours Australia would be proud of our performance and surely would try to win here," Kumble said after the drawn fourth and final Test which gave Australia a 2-1 series triumph here on Monday.
Magnanimous in defeat, Kumble said Ricky Ponting's side deserves all credit for staving off the stiff challenge that the visitors posed in the four-match series to come out victorious.
"We had our moments, it was pretty close in Sydney but for the last seven-eight minutes but Australia played really well, credit should be given to them," stated a dignified Indian captain.
Kumble did not believe that his side had been able to pull Australia down from their perch of best cricket team in the world just yet.
"Instead, I think we raised ourselves to their level. They are a quality side and we have been able to compete well against them twice, over the last four years," he said.
"It's a little disappointing. In 2003-04 we had the great opportunity but couldn't win in Sydney. We couldn't bowl them out. It was the last big opportunity for all of us," he added.
Kumble said injuries to key players also hampered the team's progress.
"We didn't come here full strength. Couple of them were injured; then Zaheer Khan got injured after the first Test," he said.
"Looking back, our young fast bowling unit responded was fantastic. RP Singh, Irfan Pathan and Ishant Sharma probably was the find of the series. At the age of 19 years, the way he bowled, his attitude and aggression, it troubled all batsmen," he added.
Kumble defended off spinner Harbhajan Singh, who could not make much of an impact in the series.
"He is still young, he is only 27 years old. This was his first full tour to Australia. He didn't play after the first Test last time," he said.
"We have good spinners like Piyush Chawla, Ramesh Powar and Murali Kartik who, even though he is not young, is a quality spinner. We need to groom our young spinners though," he added.
The veteran leg-spinner said he had no doubts before embarking for Australia that he and his side would be able to give a good account of themselves.
"I've played enough cricket and believed in the quality we had in our team. The experience of the seniors really helped. We did come fully prepared to win this series," he emphasised.
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