Bangalore:  Indian cricket captain Anil Kumble, who played his last match in his hometown, said that is was a good start to the series. Hailing India"s comeback into the match, the leg spinner said: “We were struggling at 100-4 when our lower order guided us out of the woods."

On the pitch, Kumble said that the Bengaluru wicket has changed over the years.

When asked to comment about the spin department failing to make an impact on the match, Kumble said: “It is still early days. Spinners will come into play in the next three matches."

Hailing fast bowlers- Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma- for their effort in the match, Kumble said: “Our pace duo bowled well. And Harbhajan deserves a promotion for his performance with the bat and ball.

Dismissing speculations over his shoulder injury, Kumble said he will be fine in the next two days.

Man-of-the-Match Zaheer Khan said: “I was surprised to see the Australians play very defensive cricket. I think it is a great achievement to save the Test on this track.

Praising fellow speedster Ishant, the left armer said the Delhi-lad is tall and derives good bounce from the pitch.


Austalian cricket captain Ricky Ponting said that he was pretty pleased with the effort of his team in the first test at Bangalore.

Ponting, who broke the India jinx by scoring his first Test century on Indian soil in the first innings, said: “Going into the final day of the Test match, I was pretty confident."

On the hype related with the pitch, the Australian skipper said: “It was a pretty good surface."

Ponting said: “Full credit goes to India. They stuck well in the end."

“This is a good start to the Test series. There are couple of days to freshen up before the second Test," he said.

“We need to work out our plans and there is always a room for improvement," he added.

Agencies

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