Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, on Sunday, heaped praise on his bowlers for their superb show but also said that he was surprised at the pitch helping the pacers in his side's emphatic six-wicket win over New Zealand in Dharamsala.
1. "Fantastic performance from the fast bowlers. We had no clue it would help the fast bowlers," Dhoni said after the match at the HPCA Stadium.
"Hardik (Pandya) exploited the good length, a short of a good length. Umesh (Yadav) is somebody who has been quite quick consistently, he has gone from fit to one of the fittest. Hardik is deceptive, you think he'd bowl 132, but he crosses 135 consistently. Both (Amit) Mishra and Axar (Patel) bowled well. They did go for some runs," he added.
2. Dhoni felt that the early New Zealand wickets taken by his bowlers settled the issue in his side's favour after he opted to insert the visitors.
"If we did not take early wickets, it was a 280-300 wicket," the Indian captain said.
"At times, the toss can be very crucial in this series."
3. Hardik Pandya, who was adjudged man of the match in his debut ODI, said, "On a debut, getting the man-of-the-match is special. This moment I will cherish in my life.
"It is good to be back, I was nervous a bit, but I bowled a lot in Australia and the domestic season. I wasn't looking to bowl fast, wanted to bowl with rhythm. On this wicket, I was focusing on a Test match length, a good length," said Hardik who took three wickets for 31 runs.
4. Leg-spinner Amit Mishra, who took 3/49, said, "Dhoni told me to go after the wickets, it's a good batting wicket. A good chance to prove myself. Anil bhai is a good help for me, teaching me how to bowl on flat tracks. Always talking about mental toughness."
