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Dhaka, May 12: Indian captain Rahul Dravid showered rich praise on opener Gautam Gambhir for his century which paved the way for India's big score against Bangladesh in the second one-dayer here today. "He batted beautifully in tough conditions. It was hot and humid and he carried on to score 100," Dravid said after India posted a comfortable 46-run victory at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium to clinch the series.
"(M S) Dhoni showed his utility to the team once again. He and Gautam batted sensibly," the captain said. "I was happy with the total we put on the board. We could have scored some more in the slog overs but I would have taken 285 any day in these conditions. It was not easy to chase," he said. Dravid also lauded young leggie Piyush Chawla who got three wickets in his debut match.
"The bowlers bowled well. He (Chawla) handled himself well. He has lots of promise and there would be many challenges on his way," he said. He also said there would not be any let up in the third match even after sealing the three-match series.
"We have come here to play our best cricket and want to finish it with a 3-0 win." Bangladesh skipper Habibul Bashar said his top order failed to provide the right start for the chase. "It was not easy to chase in this heat. The idea was not to lose early wickets. At least one of the top five batsmen needed to stay there.
"They (India) played well and stuck to their plans. There were also the missed chances," he said. Man of the match Gambhir, who scored his second ODI century, said today's knock was sweeter than the first one. "Being on the winning side, it was much better. The conditions were difficult. So It was important for me to play and keep the strike at one end. It was important for the team and the team comes first for me," he said. (Agencies)
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