 Lara all praise for bowlers
Kingston (Jamaica), July 1: West Indies captain Brian Lara lauded his bowlers for bowling India out cheaply on the first day of the deciding Test and setting up a chance of clinching the four-match series. "It was a Herculean effort by our bowlers on such a pitch. They have set the game very well as we wanted it,"
Lara said after his all-pace attack bowled out India for 200 in the first innings at Sabina Park.
In contrast to his counterpart Rahul Dravid who described the wicket as "demanding and challenging," Lara said the pitch did not have too many demons in it. He said batsmen only needed to watch out for the new ball and after that it could be a run-feast. "New ball would be a major factor. We have seen what happens when the ball gets old. Anil Kumble didn't look troubled at all. "If you can see through the first 15-20 overs, then it is a run feast till it is time for another new ball," Lara said.
The Caribbean skipper called upon his batsmen to bat only once in this match and then apply the pressure on the Indians. "We have to think about batting only once. It would be great if we can bat all of Saturday and all of Sunday as well. It can deteriorate on the fourth and fifth day but it's going to be a very hard task to dismiss the opposition again. So we need to have enough time. If there are two days left and we can't get the opposition out, then we don't deserve to win."
Lara admitted he too would have batted first on winning the toss but his reasons for doing so would have been entirely different. "On the surface, we would have batted first. But I also feel we would have fared better. If you are facing two fast bowlers on the first day of the Test pitch, after 10-12 overs you know there is going to be a change and it would be straight with spin."
He also paid a back-handed compliment to his counterpart for his innings of 81 which helped India reach 200. "We know what Dravid is capable of. But he kept the run-rate down to where we wanted," Lara said referring to the Indian captain's crawl in the first four hours during which he made only 35 runs. (Agencies)
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