HYDERABAD:
Rahul Dravid was all praise for
Harbhajan Singh's fantastic, unbeaten 85 which allowed India to nose ahead on Sunday.
"It was a fantastic, attacking innings and a really good partnership with Sreesanth, which means we are slightly ahead in the game," said Dravid, adding in jest: "He's batting beautifully, he is the new
Gary Sobers. He is a clean striker of the ball. Once you see balls flying over the ropes, the tendency is to push people back and try to get the No.
11 out. Credit to Sreesanth also, he has played 50 balls. Even with men on the boundary, Harbhajan was taking them on and clearing the ropes."
"I thought Vettori bowled really well. He is a top-class bowler. He varies his flight and his pace quite beautifully. He was obviously tired towards the end and Bhajji dominated him really well," said Dravid.
Dravid made special mention of New Zealand's fielding. "What really stood out today was their fielding. Their ground fielding was exceptional, they stopped so many runs, especially when me and Laxman were batting. It created a lot of pressure. We would like to get as many runs as we can."
Ross Taylor, meanwhile, said the Kiwis would have to revisit their strategy with Harbhajan at the crease. "He has taken two fifties and a hundred off us. Our plans will have to be revisited."