Having claw-ed back to 2-3 in the seven-match series against England, Rahul Dravid said it was nice to stay alive in the series.

"It was a good all-round batting performance,” the Indian captain remarked. “Sachin and Sourav set a good tempo, then it was carried on by Gautam and Yuvraj, and we had a good flourish towards the end. We were disappointing with the catching. But it is nice to get away with a win and nice to stay in the series. It is nice to go to London, knowing we have a chance to win the series."

Dravid stressed on the importance of the opening-wicket stand between Sachin Tendulkar and man of the match Sourav Ganguly.

"That kind of start does make a difference. Sachin sent back a message saying it was a really good batting wicket and we should look to get a score near 300 or just over 300.

“Both timed the ball beautifully, looked in great touch and complemented each other well. They also played almost equal number of balls. It is nice when two top players get you off to a good start that you know you can capitalise on," he said.

England skipper Paul Collingwood agreed. "Sachin and Sourav batted well and set it up for India, and the rest of the batsmen followed it up well. It is not that we bowled badly; rather, it was a case of some good batting."

Wicket-keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni equalled the record for most dismissals in an innings, and Dravid was delighted with his effort.

"He was catching well, and at one stage, we were hoping all the balls go to him! He kept well up to the stumps and it was a nice performance from him behind the stumps overall," he said.

On Zaheer Khan’s bowling, he said, "It was a terrific spell. He was a bit unfortunate to not end up with a lot more wickets. He bowled beautifully, beat the bat and put the balls in the right areas.

“The ball with which he got Pietersen out was really good. The wicket was critical. With short boundaries and the wind in his favour, Pietersen can really hurt you."