da aviator aposta： After blasting the Indians all around the park, Shahid Afridi tried to play down his innings, attributing it to the Almighty’s grace, his captain’s backing, and good fortune
Rahul Bhatia in Kanpur15-Apr-2005
Shahid Afridi: thrashed the Indian bowlers and made the game a no-contest© Getty Images
Shahid AfridiOn his innings
It wasn’t easy. Making the runs was necessary. I made it with the grace of God.On going after Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh
I didn’t have a choice. They tried getting me out but I was fortunate.On why he doesn’t play bigger innings
My game is a risky one. My main aim is to help the team get off to good starts.About his captain’s confidence in him
The captain’s confidence is a big thing for me. When I wasn’tperforming in the first few games, I needed the faith of my captain. Ihad it, and hit a hundred today. His confidence is important for me.Inzamam-ul-HaqOn the team
This is a team game. Everyone works hard for a victory. They’reimproving everyday. The boys played positive cricket, believed inthemselves.On whether Ganguly’s absence helped
Let’s stick to questions about my team.About the line-up
The batting is flexible. Razzaq has batted in a number of positions. But thecombination is looking good.On which contribution was more vital, Naved’s or Afridi’sIt was not easy to get 250. Afridi’s innings was vital.Even Naved’s performance was very good.Rahul DravidWho was at fault
It’s no-one’s fault. One man played brilliantly, and we have to giveAfridi credit for it.On the decision to bat first
The decision wasn’t wrong. We know about the movement in the morning.We also know it spins later. But because they managed 100 in 15 overs,we lost the match.Was Tendulkar brought on too late
You have to back your quality bowlers. After Anil and Harbhajan, Ibrought on Tendulkar.About the batting
We had to build a bit and push things along. Kaif batted beautifully.Even Dinesh did very well for us.About the bowling
There wasn’t that much help for the faster bowlers but the spinnershad help, as you saw. But I though Zaheer bowled very well. Sevenovers for 34 runs in these conditions [was very good].