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'Ashwin was most impressive'
Stand-in captain Gautam Gambhir praised off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin's performance terming him the find of the One-Day series.
"Ashwin for sure was most impressive. He is a quality bowler even as we saw in the IPL, the way he bowled in the Powerplays... If you have an off-spinner who can bowl well in the Powerplays and slog overs, it can be a great asset for the team," Gambhir said at the post-match press conference.
The skipper was happy as his teammates didn't show any complacency while whipping the Black Caps.
"I have always stressed that no one takes any match lightly when you are playing for your country. I think a lot of credit goes to young bunch as we didn't get complacent after clinching the series. That's what professionalism is all about and speaks a lot about your character."
Gambhir feels that it's positive sign that the fringe players cashed in on the opportunity which augurs well for the team.
"It's always a good sign when your reserve players do well. It's a good thing that there is a healthy competition and that can bring the best out of any player. You can never afford to be complacent at any stage because you know there is another one waiting in the wings."
However the opener admitted that World Cup will be an entirely different ball game altogether.
"I think World Cup will be a different ball game. There will be far more pressure and there will be a lot of expectations from us as well. If you really want to be number one and you really want to sustain at that position, you need to improve all the time.
'Yusuf can turn the game on its head'
"I think we need to improve our fielding. If we compare ourselves to New Zealanders, they were far more brilliant on the field. If we can improve as a fielding unit, we will be strong contenders for the Cup as we have a very potent batting and bowling line-up."
"He bowled brilliantly. I think Yuvraj was also brilliant. He delivered with whatever opportunities he got."
The skipper also praised Yusuf Pathan whose magnificent century got India home during the fourth one dayer in Bangalore.
"I think Yusuf played a fantastic innings. I have always felt that Yusuf is someone who has the talent to turn the game on its head. If you see the last game, he turned it completely. Given the situation not many would have given us a chance to win the match, but he won it for us."
About the Chepauk track, the southpaw said that this was the first turner they got in the entire series.
"I think this is the first turning track we got and you don't expect the ball to turn and bounce so much in a One-Dayer. So it was always difficult for them to bat because we have lot quality spinners in our side."
He praised Parthiv Patel's future after having scored back-to-back half centuries.
"I think he has grabbed his opportunity which is the only thing he could have done. Hopefully he can keep scoring runs," he concluded.