14 August,2011 06:27 AM IST | | Clayton Murzello
Victorious England captain Andrew Strauss gave India some credit on Saturday when he said that his side had to fight hard for their wins in the first and second Tests.
Andrew Strauss
"We dominated this Test match, but in the first two, there were times when we were behind or even. You sit here and feel we have had three easy victories. Two of them have been tough and one was easier," said Strauss after his side displaced India at the top of the International Cricket Council Test rankings.
"In our own conditions, you have got to back yourselves to beat anyone and certainly when it comes to beating the best side in the world. We achieved that through a lot of guys standing up and delivering when it mattered -- in important moments in the Test match," he added.
England walloped India by an innings and 242 runs in the third Test. India were bowled out for 244 with Mahendra Singh Dhoni leading the way with an unbeaten 74 as India lost their second Test of the series inside four days.
Asked if India deserved to be No 1 when they did not win a series in Australia and South Africa, Strauss did well to stay away from controversy. "I don't know how the rankings work out. They are there for a reason and to get to No 1, you have got to win a lot of cricket games. It is very hard to kid the system. India deserved to be No 1," he said.
Speaking about the strength of his team, Strauss said: "One thing our bowlers do very well is that they complement each other and hunt as a group. If there are any weaknesses there (in the opposition), we back ourselves to expose them."
Ploy to frustrate
England have won the series despite India having a highly reputed batting line-up. When it came to accounting for his side's bowling dominance, Strauss remarked, "Our method over the last couple years is to frustrate opposition players. It doesn't matter what your record says.
In any individual innings, you have to counter and overcome the type of bowling and the conditions. We exerted a lot of pressure on them," he said. There is ample proof of Strauss' assessment: India have failed to reach 300 in an innings in the series. In this Test, they were dismissed for 224 and 244 while opening batsman Alastair Cook scored 294 in one innings.
