Nottingham: England captain Andrew Strauss was overwhelmed to see his team recover from 124 for eight in the first innings to beat India by a massive 319 runs on the fourth day of the second cricket Test at Trent Bridge here Monday.
“There have been some outstanding performances in the two Test matches. It was a fantastic turnaround and I’m very proud on what we’ve done this week. (Tim) Bresnan was unlucky not to be playing in the first Test match and he keeps putting his credentials in place, making it harder and harder,” said Strauss.
The England captain also applauded his India counterpart Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who recalled Bell after the batsmen was run out in a farcical fashion while on 137. Bell was finally out for 159.
“It was very commendable of Dhoni, he has set a great example to myself and other captains. I like to think I would have done the same in similar circumstances,” said Strauss.
Meanwhile, faced with the prospect of losing the number one tag after conceding a 0-2 lead to England in the ongoing Test series, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni blamed a cramped schedule for his team’s poor performance so far. He, however, hoped that with considerable rest before the next Test of the four-match series, India will stage a turnaround.
“Somebody said time is of essence here. We came straight from the Caribbean and didn’t have time to play more than one (practice) game. So we are playing seven and not four matches back-to-back,” said Dhoni after India suffered a crushing 319-run defeat at the hands of England in the second Test at Trent Bridge here yesterday.
“It (this series) is a continuation of the West Indies tour and we haven’t really had a gap. You need to prepare differently (for England tour). In this respect the next 10 days are very important,” he added. (Agencies)