'High came from Oz’

India skipper and Man-of-the-Match MS Dhoni was quick to partly credit the win over Pakistan to the Aussies.

India skipper and Man-of-the-Match MS Dhoni was quick to partly credit the win over Pakistan to the Aussies.

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The rest, he said, should be attributed to good running between the wickets, proper application by batsmen and some disciplined spin bowling by Harbhajan, Kartik and Tendulkar. He didn’t say it in so many words but there were enough hints that in the duel between Sehwag and Gambhir, the latter was his choice.

“The Aussies are the best in the world and after playing against them, all other teams look easier,” Dhoni said. “However, it is not just one match we are concerned about. It is about playing all the matches with same intensity. A winning start is always good,” he added.

“Our key war running between the wickets. Also, on a wicket like this, where the ball was not coming on to the bat, it was important that our batsmen applied themselves. The pitch was assisting spin and our slow bowlers, Harbhajan and Kartik, did very well to restrict Pakistan.” Dhoni then went on to justify picking Gambhir ahead of Sehwag. “He is a very good batsman. In the past, he has been a bit unlucky and sometimes many others have been given preference over him.”