Bowlers did exceptionally well8217;

New Delhi, nov 17: Sachin Tendulkar gave credit to all his bowlers, who did exceptionally well'' and said it was a team effort'' that...

New Delhi, nov 17: Sachin Tendulkar gave credit to all his bowlers, who did 8220;exceptionally well8221; and said 8220;it was a team effort8221; that helped India win the decider and clinch the series.

He said, 8220;it was important for the entire team to do well rather than any individual8217;s performance. 8220;We didn8217;t want to lose this series, particularly before the tough tour of Australia.8221;

He added: 8220;On hindsight, losing the toss proved good as our bowlers tied up the opponents. It would have been a difficult decision to make if I had won the toss.8221;

On Devang Gandhi being asked to open, Tendulkar said he wanted the left-right combination to remain without disturbing the debutant8217;s usual batting position.

New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming attributed his team8217;s defeat to its inability to score runs quickly in the early stages to tight bowling by India.

8220;I thought the life in the wicket wouldn8217;t last. But the 180 target was a good total to defend, but unlike India, we couldn8217;t take early wickets,8221; he said,adding he would have been satisfied with a total of around 220.He praised Ganguly for his knock, saying quot;the opening partnership took the match away from us.8221;

8220;The ICC rules do not permit me to comment on umpiring decisions today, but I felt it was inconsistent,8221; Fleming said.

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Analysing the tour, he said, 8220;We did make the series a close one. We have learnt a lot and take with us the knowledge of how to play in the sub-continent.8221;

8220;We are happy with the Indian wickets. It is a nice change to play here. To become better cricketers, we have to learn to play on such tracks,8221; Fleming said ahead of his team8217;s departure for home via Singapore tomorrow morning.

Ganguly felt the Kotla pitch was lucky for him. 8220;I knew I was one of the contenders for the car,8221; he said. Asked about the forthcoming tour of Australia, Ganguly who had made his one-day debut there in 1992, said: 8220;Then I was a tourist. Now I am going on a cricket tour.8221;