West Indies were happy to draw with India. India needed two off the last ball. Ashwin was slow in running and was run out with India needing one more to win !
This is an incredible tie. Ojha and Ashwin brought India back into the game with some superb spin bowling, skittling out the Carribeans for a paltry 134.
India lost wickets at regular intervals and the maestro Sachin was out for 3. Bishoo and Samuels bowled superbly to restrict India to 242/9.
"Defeat would have broken our hearts" said Sammy. "I had all sorts of feelings coming into my mind. At one time, the feeling of a tied Test too came to my mind. I was speaking to Kirk (Edwards) at covers and he said 'we can draw, we won't lose.' To lose the game after scoring 590 would have been heart-breaking for us," a visibly-relieved Sammy said . India just needed 3 runs to win off the last over with 2 wickets in hand and only managed to get only two when Ashwin, the Man of the Match and the Series, was run out, when he attempted a non-existent double.
Sammy was hopeful of victory when this dramatic finale happened.
"Obviously, happy with the result, but a win would have been the icing on the cake. We would have loved to win against a higher-rung team. It would have given us some points. Our goal is to make it to the top five in Test cricket," Sammy said. "To win a match like this, we need to bat well in both innings. But (in the end) it was a good game of cricket."
India's haste gave WI chance of victory,averred the WI skipper.
"When (Virat) Kohli and (MS) Dhoni were batting, there were about 15 overs left and about 50-55 runs to win. Ravi (Rampaul) was bowling well, along with (Devendra) Bishoo. They (Indians) decided to go for the runs but in the process lost Kohli and Ishant. They were going for the runs, but we also had an opportunity to win the game."
WI lost 8 wickets for 53 runs and India were on course for victory.
"We were hoping to get about 300-plus when we came to the ground this morning. But after we lost seven or eight wickets, we had to go back to the dressing room and plan out the game. We didn't bat well but we kept believing that we could get a draw or a win," Sammy said. He was shocked to see 17 wickets fall on the last day.
"I didn't foresee that. But it was a disappointing performance with the bat. Some of the shots we played were uncalled for. You have to be prepared to bat for a long time," Sammy said.
"But the way we fought back with me not bowling, Bishoo bowling on one leg, (Marlon) Samuels bowling 20 consecutive overs and Ravi and Fidel (Edwards) doing well, it's heartening. The bowlers showed fight and that's the positive we can take from here."
He praised the duo of Ashwin and Ojha, who took 22 and 20 wickets each. "They (Ojha and Ashwin) did well for India. Ashwin not only bowled well but did well with the bat too. Both have an extremely bright future for India."
He was also happy about the progress of the WI team. "We have progressed well. We dominated the two Tests against Sri Lanka, did well against Pakistan and competed well against India. The players now have the belief that they can do well."
" We lost wickets at the wrong time" said Dhoni.
"It was a superb final day and again it was proven that the match is not yours until it's in your kitty. We lost wickets at the wrong time and they also played good cricket," Dhoni averred.
"Last time when we played at the CCI (Brabourne Stadium), the ball turned less as the match progressed. This time we wanted to start safely and didn't want to concede too many runs. Luckily we got wickets and didn't concede runs. So we could put some fielders in catching positions. Having said that, I would expect tracks here to start offering turn from the first day evening rather waiting till the fifth day."
Dhoni said he needed a break. "It is a much-needed break. I have been playing continuous cricket for quite sometime now. More than the physical break, I am looking forward to the mental break before the Australia tour," he said.
The Man of the Series and Match Man, Ashwin, said he was disappointed that he could not socre one more run to win for India."I wanted to squeeze a few boundaries when the field came up but unfortunately couldn't get them. Off the last two deliveries, the plan was to defend the first one and go after the last ball. The plan didn't work."
"As the ball got old, it bounced and stopped. Ojha really bowled well and built the pressure. I chipped in at the back end as well."
Ashwin's start in Tests is a dream come true. "I will be taking confidence from this series but will have to really work hard on different facets of my game."
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