Pune wicket was not easy to bat on, says Sourav Ganguly

Saddened by his team’s embarrassing loss to Mumbai Indians, Pune Warriors India captain Sourav Ganguly has said that it was not an easy wicket to bat on, as the ball did not come nicely on to the bat.

The Mumbai Indians kept their nerves calm to beat Pune in a low scoring match at Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium on Thursday. Batting first, the visiting side could only score 120 runs despite a fine start provided by Sachin Tendulkar and James Franklin.

Both batsmen scored 50 runs for the first-wicket-stand, steering their side to a comfortable position. However, the tourists suddenly lost their direction and started giving away their wickets cheaply afterwards. In reply, it was never an easy run chase
for the Warriors, as they kept losing wickets regularly.

Ganguly and Mithun Manhas brought their side out of the troubled waters for a while, but the Pune skipper lost his wicket at a crucial juncture. Talking in the post-match ceremony, Ganguly was not reluctant to admit that the fall of his wicket was turning
point of the game.

"It was not an easy wicket, the ball did not come on to the bat. But we should have got to 120. We lost a few wickets early. When I got out was the turning point of the game," said a visibly disappointed Ganguly.

Victorious skipper Harbhajan Singh also called it a slow track, adding that his bowlers and fielders did a terrific job. He lavished special praise on his bowling unit, saying:

"The pitch was slow, low and it was difficult to play your strokes. We did not expect the pitch to play this way, bowlers would love to bowl here. Our bowlers did a great job."

Lasith Malinga was given the ‘Man of the Match’ award for his gritty work with the ball. The Sri Lankan pacer scalped a couple of wickets only for 25 runs in his four overs.

On his performance, the speed star stated, "I am used to pressure, whatever I do during the training session, I try to apply it on the field. I know my field and I bowl accordingly."

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Posted by Rana Nasir Ghafoor on May 4 2012. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry