AHMEDABAD: Relieved after his batsmen eked out a draw in the first Test against Sri Lanka, Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said it was just a matter of seeing through the early overs and his team never panicked.
Eight wickets separated Sri Lanka from a win but the Indian batsmen came with a much improved show in the second essay to walk away with a draw, scoring 222 runs while losing just a couple of wickets.
"We needed a good partnership at start of the innings. We knew if we don't give early wickets to Sri Lankan bowlers, it would be very difficult for them to get 10 wickets. That's what really happened," Dhoni said after the match.
Images: Defiant India pull off a draw
"There was no question of panic," he added. Nearly 1600 runs were scored over five days while just 21 wickets fell as the Test petered out to a dull draw.
"The wicket was quite flat. I wouldn't say it was the flattest wicket I have seen but I think it was on slower side to the spinners, it wasn't of much help to them," Dhoni said.
When his attention was drawn to the fact that India lost 14 wickets in the match, twice their opponents, Dhoni sprang into the defence of spinners Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra, who bled a staggering 392 runs between them, claiming just three wickets.
"I am satisfied with our spinners. If you see, (Muttiah) Muralitharan was in the opposition side. He is the greatest we will see and even he didn't get the bounce or turn he is known for. It was difficult for our bowlers."
"It was a placid track and the Sri Lankan side really play the spinners well. Overall I am happy but we could have bowled tighter I can say," Dhoni explained.
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He shot down the suggestion that Sri Lankan spinners outshone their home side counterparts in the match.
"I think we are at par with any side that has good spinners. Overall, the run rate was quite the same. Of course we bowled a lot more overs.
"In this case, they were more accurate, bowled one line and length, didn't experiment much once they knew there was not much help for spinners," Dhoni said.
By tea, it was clear that a result was not possible in this run-feast but India still played on till Sachin Tendulkar completed his century.
Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara said he had offered to call off the match early but Tendulkar insisted he would play on.
Dhoni saw nothing wrong in Tendulkar's approach and said, "If you are so close to a milestone any batsman has a right to achieve it."
Coverage: India v Sri Lanka
About Gautam Gambhir's ambitious shot that led to his downfall after having played so well in saving the day for India, Dhoni said the left-hander uses his feet well to the spinners but it did not succeed today.
"He bats that way, uses his feel well. It's one of his shots, just that it didn't pay well this time," he said.
