Dravid revels in India's triumph

KINGSTON, July 3: Rahul Dravid credited India's series-winning triumph against the West Indies to team effort and hoped it would be spoken of in the same terms as the historic 1971 victory registered by Ajit Wadekar's men. "We have not won in the West Indies for 35 years and not won outside the sub-continent for 20. That makes this win that much more special," said the Indian captain soaking in the joy of having led his team to a rare overseas win. "It's good for this team to be the one that changed that and the one what will be sort of remembered. We had to work hard for it and I think it's been well deserved," he said after the match. "We've always heard about the 1971 team and Anil (Kumble) was the only one born, just born, when India won last in the West Indies," Dravid said. "For all of us, growing up hearing the history of Indian cricket that was a very significant series, and I think hopefully this will prove to be a significant one as well." Dravid starred in the victory with scores of 81 and 68 in the low-scoring match which folded up inside three days but he sought to give credit to the entire team. "It's probably one of my most satisfying innings when I look back at both the innings," he said. "To win the series and for it to be such a close game, it would probably be one of my most satisfying couple of knocks that I've played," added the 33-year-old who was adjudged both man of the match and man of the series. All praise for his young side, Dravid said the win would not have been possible without team effort. "It was a fantastic effort. We played good cricket throughout the series. It was a team effort." "The team needs to be praised particularly for the way they came back after the difficult ODI series loss." Dravid agreed with Brian Lara's opinion about the Sabina Park track which saw 40 wickets fall inside three days. "It wasn't a great wicket. We had to grind our way, and it was especially difficult for a new batsman." Leg-spinner Anil Kumble, who picked six for 78 in the second innings, said he was happy that he could play an important part in the win. "This is my third trip to the West Indies so I wanted to ensure that I did well. Being the senior bowler in the team, it was important that I delivered. courtesy:timesofindia