My partnership with Dhoni was turning point: Dravid

Margao, Feb 14 (UNI) A satisfied Indian captain Rahul Dravid today said his partnership with Mahendra Singh Dhoni proved to be the turning point of the match.

Speaking to reporters after India completed a five-wicket win at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium here, Dravid praised the efforts of Dhoni saying he batted very sensibly and unlike the last match. ''We were able to accelerate and put pressure on the Lankans to carve out this win.'' Dravid also praised his strike bowler Zaheer Khan, saying he is a key player for us and his coming good, augurs well for the World Cup.

Dravid, however, admitted that they expected a lot more from Virender Sehwag. He is a class player and needs to be given more time, the skipper added.

''We will now go to Vizag with the aim of winning the match and the series there. But for us, more than winning the series, it is important to play well and smart cricket.'' He also added that this series will have no bearing on how the teams perform at the World Cup.

Dravid said he was unhappy at losing the toss, but that soon turned into glee after Zaheer Khan had reduced them to 6 runs for three wickets.

Speaking about his own achievement of becoming the sixth batsman to reach the coveted 10,000 run mark, Dravid said he is very happy to reach such a big milestone. ''But, I am deriving more satisfaction from the fact that I have been able to carry off all the different types of responsibility thrust upon me, be it wicketkeeping, batting at different numbers and now captaining this side.'' ''This has been a journey of discovery with all the ups and downs which have taught me more than anything else in life,'' the skipper added.

Man of the Match Zaheer Khan, who took his first five-wicket haul ever in one-day internationals, said that nowadays in ODIs, it is pertinent to bowl in the right areas in the first 30 to 45 minutes and ''I have been concentrating on that''. ''With nearly 50 per cent of the game becoming a power play you need to grab wickets upfront to stop the opposition from taking the match away from you,'' he added.

Zaheer Khan said he has been working very hard on his fitness and that is showing in his match play. ''I have been playing continously for a year now and getting better and better. Match practice has given me that confidence to perform better and has also improved my fitness,'' he added.

UNI