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Kanpur: Relieved that his first full Test assignment as Team India coach ended in a respectable 1-1 draw with South Africa, Gary Kirsten today said the turning Green Park wicket helped the hosts play to their strength after the mauling on a seaming track in the second match in Ahmedabad.
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Kirsten said the host team was "hurt" after the loss in Ahmedabad but showed character to come back strongly and win here. "I think the wicket here was more suited to our strength and that helped us immensely after what had happened in Ahmedabad. The way the boys turned it around was great," Kirsten said after the three-match Test series ended 1-1, with a second successive three-day result in the third and final Test here.
"This is a proud cricketing nation. The boys were hurt after losing the Ahmedabad Test and they wanted to make amends for that. We also put in some good training before the match," he added.
On working with two captains in Anil Kumble and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Kirsten said both had their individual style but one thing common to both of them was their ability to keep the team motivated. "They are both great leaders, each of them has special
qualities and they have got enormous respect in the team. The boys responded really well to them," said Kirsten.
'Green Park pitch not ideal'
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Special: South Africa in India 2008
His South African counterpart Micky Arthur said though 1-1 was a not a bad result, his team could have gone on to win the series if it had not missed some crucial chances. "I think India won the crucial moments. They played in conditions which were favourable to them. They bowled exceptionally well and Harbhajan (Singh) was always going to be difficult to play on a crumbling wicket like this," he said.
Arthur felt that the Proteas handled spin well. "We came with a fixed gameplan against spinners but wicket here went up and down and made it difficult to score. I think most teams would have struggled to score here. But overall, I am happy with the way we handled spin throughout the series, in fact through the season," he said.
"Players like Sourav (Ganguly) know how to handle spin but our guys are still learning," he added.
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