Anil Kumble has just tasted Test defeat as skipper, and has been facing a wave of criticism for tinkering with the batting line-up. He admitted the mistakes made, but also came out strongly in Yuvraj’s defence. He iterated his faith in his team’s ability to fight back in the series. Excerpts: On mistakes that cost the match:I wish I knew what went wrong. It was important that we batted through the sessions, but our batting didn’t stand up. It was a difficult wicket to bat on, but once you got in, it was difficult to get out as well. Unfortunately between lunch and tea we lost three wickets and after tea, when the ball started reversing, runs were hard to come by. I don’t think we were intimidated. Yes, Australia batted and bowled well, but there was not a single time I felt like we were intimidated. People have doubted our quality in terms of picking up 20 wickets, but we have shown that we have the quality to do that. So, it’s just up to the batters to go out and get a good score. It hurts, not just as an individual but as a team that we haven’t put up a good show and I can tell you we will address that and try to put up a better show in Sydney. On the Day 4 gameplan: The plan was to go out there and bat naturally and freely. The wicket was slow and it was not easy to play shots. At the same time, you had to really put your head down and just bat. It was a matter of adjusting, which we didn’t do. Credit to the Australian bowlers for the way they bowled.On the team combination: I think it was the right decision. When Yuvraj is playing so well and we don’t pick him, you say why not? Then when we put Rahul (Dravid) up the order to make way for Yuvraj, you say ‘no you shouldn’t have done that’. There are always ifs and buts. but I need to look at the team dynamics. If you look at our batting order, then all seven of them are batting well and the other two openers, who could’ve possibly taken someone else’s place, weren’t really getting runs. It is difficult for me. If Viru and Dinesh Kaarthick were in great form then the choice would have been easier. We will think about our combination when we got to Sydney.On Dravid’s form: He is too good a player to worry about his batting. He just needs to go out there and enjoy. I’m positive he can do that. He has played more than 100 Tests and scored more than 9000 runs. I am really confident he will be able to come out and bat the way he does.On India’s batting: It was a collective failure. It’s not just about one person getting 100, it’s about the team getting to 350-400 regularly. We want our collective batting to perform to our potential.The Indian team has disappointed with their manner of defeat, and has surprised not just fans back home but even the Australian skipper. Ricky Ponting admitted he didn’t expect the Indians to cave in so meekly. Excerpts:On the easy victory: I knew when I declared yesterday we wouldn’t lose. I expected it to be hard work today, on a really hot day. We felt with guys like (Rahul) Dravid and (VVS) Laxman who are known to bat long periods, it will be a fight. But the way we bowled and fielded was outstanding. Our fielding was one of the big differences between the two sides.On approaching 16 straight Test wins record:It is getting closer, but we just try and go about our normal business. We will all be really proud if we achieve that.On the most decisive phase of the match: The opening partnership was tremendous. It was one of the biggest moments of the match. And the second morning when India batted and the scoreboard was not going anywhere. I thought we played some excellent cricket throughout. On the superb display with the ball: I am extremely happy with our bowling group. The maidens at the start of day two created a lot of apprehension. I know as a batsman you want the scoreboard to keep ticking — otherwise it creates a lot of pressure.
