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We knew light factor would come into play: Kirsten

Suggesting that England captain Kevin Pietersen erred by opting to bat first which finished in fading light, Gary Kirsten says the hosts were prepared for such a possibility and had prepared accordingly.

Updated on: Nov 20, 2008, 20:57:04 IST
PTI | By , Kanpur
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Suggesting that England captain Kevin Pietersen erred by opting to bat first in the third ODI which finished in fading light, India coach Gary Kirsten said the hosts were prepared for such a possibility and had prepared accordingly.

HT Image
HT Image

Chasing 241 in 49 overs, India were 198 for five when bad light dropped early curtains on the proceedings and the hosts were declared winner via Duckworth-Lewis method.

"We were going to bat second any way. That (Pietersen's decision to bat first) worked in our favour," Kirsten said in the post-match press conference.

The India coach said they had taken stock of the conditions here and were ready for such an eventuality.

"We obviously were aware, looking at the weather yesterday that light might come into play. We prepared accordingly," he said.

Kirsten admitted India could not produce the same ruthlessness which helped them crush the visitors in the previous two games but felt the team showed enough resilience on Thursday.

"It was an all-round performance. Probably we didn't fire in all departments of the game but we know we can," he said.

"We had times in the game when we let it go a bit. We lost a few wickets up front and put ourselves under bit of pressure. But we believe we got a team and guys can play in any situation of the game and we backed ourselves to win the game," he explained.

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