Kumble blames middle order

After suffering an eight-wicket thrashing by Sri Lanka in the third and final Test, Indian skipper Anil Kumble Monday said it was their inconsistency and failure of the middle order to put up a big score on a good wicket that cost them the match and the series.

"The batsmen did not put up a good show here and that probably cost us the series. It was critical that the middle order got runs and there was not enough consistency from any of the batters, and that probably what cost us the game and the Test match here," Kumble said.
Kumble said it was a good toss to win but the batsmen failed to capitalise on the early starts. "Having won the toss it was important to get a big score. We got a good start but could not capitalise. For a new batsman to go straightway and face two spinners, it is never easy. If they had converted the early starts, it would have been a different story. Overall, we did not play quality cricket to win the series," he said.

Although dejected with the batting display, Kumble however, had some words of praise for the bowlers. "Bowlers put their hearts out. Ishant showed brilliant performance throughout the series. Zaheer showed lot of character. Harbhajan was fantastic to come back from all that he had been through during the last couple of months," he said.

With as many as three players sustaining injuries in the match and Kumble admitted he had never witnessed so many injuries within a day.

Having earned a recall to the Indian Test team after four years, young wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel feels lady luck has smiled on him and the left-hander is keen to cash in on the opportunity to cement his place in the side.With competition from the ODI skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Tamil Nadu's Dinesh Kaarthick, a comeback for Patel, even after a successful domestic last season, was highly improbable."Had an exhausted Mahendra Singh Dhoni not pulled out of the Sri Lanka series, I might not have got a chance. So, undoubtedly, there was a little bit of luck involved in me getting selected. In fact, on Thursday, we (Avni and I) complete four months," Parthiv, who last played a Test in 2004 against Australia in Nagpur, told PTI in a candid conversation.Patel, who married an Ahmedabad-based fashion designer Avni in March, insisted that despite being ignored for a long time, he knew he will make it to the team."However, I had not lost hope. And finally, I got the opportunity today. I don't have a specific target now, however my sole aim in Sri Lanka will be to do well and cement my place in the side," Parthiv said.The Gujarat batsman made his Test debut against England in August 2002, at an age of 17 years and 153 days and became the youngest wicketkeeper to play Tests.Harsh reality soon struck as the diminutive Patel failed miserably against spinners. But his stroke-play ability ensured that he got an extended run -- he scored an aggressive 62 in Sydney in 2003-04, and then faced Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami with grit, scoring 69 as an opener.

Parthiv wants to settle in test team

Having earned a recall to the Indian Test team after four years, young wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel feels lady luck has smiled on him and the left-hander is keen to cash in on the opportunity to cement his place in the side.With competition from the ODI skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Tamil Nadu's Dinesh Kaarthick, a comeback for Patel, even after a successful domestic last season, was highly improbable."Had an exhausted Mahendra Singh Dhoni not pulled out of the Sri Lanka series, I might not have got a chance. So, undoubtedly, there was a little bit of luck involved in me getting selected. In fact, on Thursday, we (Avni and I) complete four months," Parthiv, who last played a Test in 2004 against Australia in Nagpur, told PTI in a candid conversation.Patel, who married an Ahmedabad-based fashion designer Avni in March, insisted that despite being ignored for a long time, he knew he will make it to the team."However, I had not lost hope. And finally, I got the opportunity today. I don't have a specific target now, however my sole aim in Sri Lanka will be to do well and cement my place in the side," Parthiv said.The Gujarat batsman made his Test debut against England in August 2002, at an age of 17 years and 153 days and became the youngest wicketkeeper to play Tests.Harsh reality soon struck as the diminutive Patel failed miserably against spinners. But his stroke-play ability ensured that he got an extended run -- he scored an aggressive 62 in Sydney in 2003-04, and then faced Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami with grit, scoring 69 as an opener.