Indian captain Rahul Dravid has picked out Pakistan's new pacer Mohammad Asif as the main difference between the two sides in the third and final Test which his team lost by 341 runs to surrender the series.
"I think the way Asif bowled with the new ball in both innings was quality stuff. He put the ball in the right areas and used the seam beautifully," Dravid told a news conference in Karachi on Wednesday.
Asif, 23, finished with match figures of seven for 126, slicing through the Indian top order on Wednesday with the wickets of Virender Sehwag, V V S Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar.
"Asif's use of the new ball and the quality wickets he got with it made a big difference in this Test," Dravid said.
"The way he bowled he didn't appear to be playing only his third Test."
Pakistan captain Younis Khan compared Asif's bowling with Australian seamer Glenn McGrath.
"His bowling was much like McGrath's. He stuck to a consistent line and length and attacked the stumps all the time. He used the new ball very well. His wickets gave us a big edge in this match," he said.
'MORE VARIETY'
Younis also felt that India had lost the advantage by playing three left arm pacers. "We had more variety in our bowling. We had Shoaib Akhtar who bowled very fast and rattled them.
"Asif used the new ball well and Abdul Razzaq was very consistent, hitting the deck hard all the time."
He described the victory as one more step in Pakistan's bid to improve in Test cricket and challenge the best.
Dravid said India had not batted as well as they should have in both innings.
"We were in good position when we had them six down on the first day but we didn't bat well enough then to put them under pressure on a pitch which was not bad for batting.
"In the second innings any team asked to chase 607 runs is going to be under pressure. We had our backs to the wall. Our first aim was to play out the new ball and then take it session by session. We had not planned to win or draw the match."
Asked about his decision to open the innings in the presence of two regular openers in the squad, Dravid said the plan had been to pick the best batsmen.
"We played the best batting combination and it clicked in the first two Tests. But I guess we now have to think about playing the best batsmen in best positions," he stated.
The Indian captain did not believe the Test series loss in Pakistan would have a bearing on his team's coming series at home against England.
"The conditions and pitches in India will be different. In India our spinners play a bigger role. But we have to see the wickets and then decide what is the best combination to play against England."
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