I was asked to bat as long as possible: Bangar

Speaking on the nature of the wicket he said: ‘‘It was slow but dry. But the outfield was quite fast.’’

Bangar admitted that he had been instructed by his captain Saurav Ganguly and coach John Wright to block one end up. ‘‘I have been told to concentrate hard and bat as long as possible.

Commenting on the opposition bowling attack, Bangar said: ‘‘It was disciplined as usual. During lunch and tea breaks, the opposition attack was a bit frustrating for us.’’

Bangar said a total of 400 would be safe for India in the match. He also admitted that he need to iron out a few shortcomings in his batting. ‘‘I need to improve my footwork,’’ he signed off.

Asked how he felt to partner a natural stroke player like Virnder Sehwag, Bangar said “it is all about partnership. It does not matter who gets the run as long as the partnership goes on”. Bangar and Sehwag today added 49 runs in the opening stand of which the latter’s contribution was 35.

On the key to his consistent performance in the current series, he said “the more you play at this level, the more experience you gain and get matured”.