'Zaheer helped us get the game by scruff of the neck'

Indian captain Rahul Dravid hails Zaheer Khan for his magnificent bowling which helped his team romp home in the second Test against England.

Indian captain Rahul Dravid hailed Zaheer Khan for his magnificent bowling which helped get the game by the 'scruff of the neck' to eventually romp home in the second cricket Test against England at Nottingham on Tuesday.

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"Zaheer was brilliant. We need players who can come ahead and play like him. He helped us get the game by the scruff of the neck," Dravid said after leading India to seven-wicket win at Trent Bridge.

"Our bowlers put the bowl in the right areas which was very important for us to win the match," he added.

The Indian captain, who now looks forward to a series win in England after over a two decade gap, praised the team as a whole and players' collective effort.

"Everyone had some contribution in it. We knew we had players who could do well. It was a new innings after the Lord's (when the team was saved from a certain defeat due to weather)."

"The middle order definitely answered back to their critics. We did it even without a hundred from anyone. The openers are also learning and they gave us the chance to dominate in the match from the start," he said.

Dravid said he expected it to be a tough encounter till the end even though India needed just 63 more runs for the win on the final day.

"It was a close match. It was a tough match. I expected it to be so as I did not think England were going to lie down till the end," he said.