Moody relieved and Chappell upbeat
Tom Moody, Rahul Dravid and Greg Chappell spoke to the press after Sri Lanka beat India in Ahmedabad
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan at Ahmedabad
06-Nov-2005
Tom Moody was happy that Sri Lanka were finally able to pull off a
consolation win and said he would focus on the positives, despite Sri Lanka not
performing upto their potential in the field. He, along with Greg Chappell and Rahul
Dravid, spoke to the press at the end of the day.
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Tom Moody
On Sri Lanka's bowling and the overall performance
India is a very hard place to bowl. It's not easy on these flat wickets. I thought
we collectively pulled together. I'd rather concentrate on the positives and am
happy that we had a terrific partnership while chasing. Our fielding wasn't as good
as we are capable of. It's pleasing that two middle-order players came together to
finish the job.
On Sanath Jayasuriya's bad run
He's having a lean time. Every player goes through these highs and lows but the good
thing is he's hitting the ball well and working hard in the nets. The Indian bowlers
have bowled well to him. Ajit Agarkar has really done well and hit his straps in all
the games.
On Nuwan Zoysa's injury
He had a slight twist in the ankle while fielding. Probably stretched himself too
much while trying to stop a run.
Rahul Dravid
On the performance
It's not easy to say what went wrong but I think we were 25-30 runs short. I thought
we had a lot of positives form the game - the attitude and the fielding were good
and the young boys did a great job.
On his batting and the experimentation to the side
I'm batting quite well and hitting the ball in the middle. We have a young batting
line-up and we need to give them some time and chances. We are experimenting with
the side but we are looking to win every game. I'll be looking for a 6-1 win in the
series irrespective of the experimentation.
On his fitness
I had a slight cramp and didn't want to take too many chances with many matches
coming up.
Greg Chappell
On experimenting with the side
It was very positive. We have to experiment with the long run in mind. If we don't
we run the risk of finding ourselves with players not fit enough or not in form. We
have to plan towards the World Cup in 2007 and all the games we play need to be
directed towards that. We are obviously looking to play the best combination but if
we don't give youngsters a chance now, we run the risk of looking back later and
saying, 'we didn't take that chance'. Had we won with this young side, the benefit
for the next 12 to 18 months would have been tremendous. We need to take such risks.
On Gautam Gambhir
He played brilliantly. It's not easy for someone to sit in the sidelines and then
walk out and play so well. I thought he started really well and showed his talent
and his mental state.
On the fielding
I don't think we have fielded as well as this in recent times. We were outstanding.
On Dravid's form and Sehwag's leadership today
Dravid's a fine player and sets an example like always. I hope he does it for
longer. Sehwag did a good job. I thought he attacked and defended when he had to. It
was tough to captain out there in the evening and he did fine.
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan is staff writer of Cricinfo