Pune: Opener Shikhar Dhawan credited the bowlers for India’s six-wicket win, saying they did half the job by restricting New Zealand to a modest total in the second one-dayer here.
“Absolutely, 230 is not too much in these times. The bowlers bowled really well and the fielders backed them up well. The bowlers had done half the job actually for us. The pressure of chasing 230 is naturally always less compared to chasing 300. It’s good we are on a winning run,” Dhawan told reporters.
“There was no seam movement when India bowled and the Indian bowlers bowled very tight lines and did the job for us. We played their pacers better than they played our pacers,” added the 31-year-old Delhi batsman.
Dhawan also heaped praise on pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who returned with impressive figures of 3/45.
“He (Bhuvneshwar) has raised the bar and I feel he is at a very high level. His control over the bowling is very good. Not just at the start but other variations. Even when he bowls slower ball and knuckle ball he makes sure he lands it in the right areas,” he said.
“The way he got that left-hander out (Colin Munro), it was because he pitched that ball in the right area and even when comes in the death over, he is the best bowler. Best bowler in the world I guess, the way he bowls Yorkers.
“I have seen him in the IPL and in the India team, he has bowled consistently well. He has improved a lot. And I feel that he has got a lot of belief in himself and that’s what is showing out there,” added Dhawan, who was Bhuvi’s teammate in Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL.
Dhawan also showered praise on Dinesh Karthik, saying his skills of rotating the strike makes him one of the best middle-order batsman.
“About Dinesh I will say that he has worked hard and scored so many runs in domestic (cricket) that he is being rewarded for that.”
