Skipper Rahul Dravid rated India’s first-ever overseas win over South Africa as a result of great team effort.
“It feels very good to win a series against the number two side in the world away from home on conditions that suited them more rather than us. The way we played right through the series, I think all three games were very close, and we acquitted ourselves well. It was a great team effort and everybody contributed,” said Dravid.
“The toss was important. It was a good toss to win. The ball seamed all day and we bowled well and pitched in the right areas. Our pace bowlers did a good job upfront and we executed our plans very well,” he added.
The Bangalorean also said the victory meant a lot to the team. “This triumph means a lot to the team. We had a few disappointments lately, so it was nice to win this. It was a good competition to win away from home. I was just happy for the boys. They have been through a lot. They put in a lot of hard work, so for them to taste victory and enjoy success is good.”
“From a captain’s perspective what really gives you happiness is to see your team playing up to potential. At the end of the day, that’s what you really want. You win some games and you lose some, but it’s always great to see the guys play to their potential. That gives you a lot of satisfaction,” Dravid said.
Dravid made light of the fact that India had embarked on a long tour without a coach. “We are well organised in that department. We do have a fielding and bowling coach in Robin Singh and Venkatesh Prasad respectively. We also have a Cricket Manager in Chandu Borde who provides us with an overview and guides us. Robin and Venky help us in the nets and in doing the hard yards. We try and differentiate roles for everyone and it is working great.”
Dravid underlined the role the senior players had in the win. “The senior players are the leaders in the team. Whether you have a coach or not, the junior guys always look up to them and they are the ones who set the tempo in the team. It's not just the captain, but four or five senior players who got to set example for the others to follow. We saw that in this series.”
He also said it was good to start a long tour to England with a victory. “It’s good to start with a win. We have a long summer ahead in England. We played under some tough and cold conditions and we have done pretty well. It’s a much better feeling to go into a Test series with a win. There is confidence that we will take into the new series,” he said.