By Avishek Roy, IANS
Ahmedabad : Indian cricket team captain Anil Kumble Saturday said he was confident of team’s comeback in the final Test against South Africa to square the three-match series.
South Africa defeated India by an innings and 90 runs in what was hosts’ biggest loss in eight years. With the win, South Africa has now taken a 1-0 lead in the series. The final will be played at Kanpur April 11.
Kumble, in the post match press conference, accepted that his team was rattled after being bowled out for a paltry 76 runs in the first innings and it was difficult for them to make a come back.
“It was always tough to come back after being bundled out for 76. It was just one of those days (day one) when every nick went to the fielders,” Kumble said.
“We had our chances when we got four wickets but A.B. de Villiers and Jacques Kallis took it away with their partnership,” he said.
Asked on India’s chances of making a comeback in the series, a defiant Kumble said they had encountered similar situations before and would bounce back to square the series.
“We have comeback from tougher situations away from home in past. There is pressure to bounce back from here but we are confident. We will be go out there with a positive frame of mind in the next game,” he said.
Kumble, who reportedly was unhappy with the pitch and had even asked the curator to shave of the grass, said it is not his role to tell how a pitch should be made.
“It is not for me to say how to make pitches. The pitch behaved the same through out the three days and did a bit in the morning session. It was lively in the morning,” he said.
Kumble rued that if the top order had got runs under their belt on the third day and it would have been good for the team.
“Batsmen were in good nick today. Everybody got a start but could not carry on.”