 Dravid defends decision to bat first
 Kingston (Jamaica), July 1: Indian captain Rahul Dravid sought to justify his decision to bat first on a "difficult, challenging wicket" by claiming that the West Indies and the "experts" were of the same opinion. "The opposing captain would have done the same, all the experts had said the same. There was juice but you are expected to play that out. We did in fact play out till lunch before the afternoon session set us back," Dravid said after his team was bowled out for 200 on the first day of the fourth and final Test against the West Indies at Sabina Park yesterday.
"It was a very difficult, challenging wicket, the ball was stopping and coming and it also seamed a lot. It was a track where a lot of shots were not your options. I felt we lost 2-3 wickets in the afternoon (which set us back) and if we had any good partnership, a score of 250-260 would have been a good one. If we had gone through afternoon, as Anil and I showed, runs could be had once the bowlers were tired," the Indian captain said. Unlike West Indies, India has gone into the game with only two medium-pacers but Dravid was confident his spinners would be equally up to the task.
"It would not be easy to play too many shots against the spinners. Still one has to rotate the spinners and they have to keep the runs down. The ball is doing up and down and if you can be disciplined, you can do something. You wouldn't get wickets by bowling fast. It's a very dry surface and should help the spinners as the match goes on. We have two quality spinners and we have picked four bowlers we think would serve us best in these circumstances," he said. Dravid considered the final score of 200 as a major improvement after India were tottering at 91 for six at one stage and said his team could get back into the game with a good bowling performance.
"From 91 for 6, it was an improvement. It now depends on how we bowl. Even if we concede a small lead and can score well in the third innings, we can put them under pressure in the final innings of the match. But if we concede too many runs in the first innings, it would be difficult to come back." The skipper also heaped praise on Anil Kumble with whom he added 93 runs for the seventh wicket.
"Anil (Kumble) is showing a lot of the batsmen, also some lower order batsmen, his attitude in difficult circumstances. It shows a lot of people in the dressing room what Test cricket is all about. He is not the most gifted of batsman but with his limited ability, he maximises it amazingly. When he is batting with you, one could be sure he wouldn't let you down for effort, Dravid said about the fellow
Bangalorean.
On a personal note, Dravid termed his knock of 81 as an extremely satisfying one. "When you fight hard for runs, it gives you a lot of satisfaction. Like the 70 runs I made against New Zealand on a first-day pitch at Wellington, this one too was very satisfactory." he added. (Agencies)
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