Ganguly toasts India, England distraught

India captain Sourav Ganguly hailed his team after they secured victory in a fantastic final to win the NatWest triangular tournament at Lord's.

"I thought we played fantastically well and deserved to win," Ganguly said. "We have played well throughout series. We did not bowl well in the first half today but we batted like champions.

"The batters were brilliant. Yuvraj and Kaif batted have batted well, but the way those two guys batted today was unbelievable. When we got to 100 in 15 overs I knew we had a chance because it was a good wicket and a fast outfield."

"It was fantastic to see so many turning up at Lord's. I would like to thank everyone for supporting us throughout the series."

England's Marcus Trescothick, who made a century for England and was voted player of the series, said: "Personally I've played pretty well this summer and I`m looking forward to carrying it on - but I'm very disappointed today, although it was a fantastic game for the crowd to watch.

"To score 100 at Lord's is a special thing - but the boys are distraught at the moment. It's going to take a bit of time to get over this."

England skipper Nasser Hussain, who made 115, said: "We are very disappointed but you have to give credit where it's due and they played out of their skins today. Congratulations to them - they batted brilliantly.

"You can't point fingers in the dressing room - you've got to say `all credit you've tried hard throughout the tournament'.

"We've got to improve a few things but we're a much improved side. It's hard to swallow going from not winning a game to today - but this Indian side keeps coming at you - they played really well."

Ronnie Irani, voted the fans' player of the series, echoed the disappointment in the England camp, despite his personal achievement.

"We're hugely disappointed - but we'll live to fight another day," he said. "It's great as a player to know the fans support you and I hope I can give them some more entertainment in the future."