V.V.S. Laxman on way to his 74, on Sunday. (PTI)

Hyderabad: Rahul Dravid, who made 45 runs on Sunday, believes that it was Harbhajan Singh’s blitzkrieg that ensured India an edge at the end of the third day’s play.

Speaking at a media conference, Dravid praised the offie saying Harbhajan is “no bunny with the bat.”

The following are excerpts

The Harbhajan show…

It was a fantastic innings from him… Even in the last Test, he saved us with a brilliant effort. Today (Sunday), too, it was because of his effort that we enjoy an edge at the end of the day. His partnership with Sreesanth was excellent and it just what we needed at that time.

If New Zealand failed to set the right field for Harbhajan

It’s very tricky… Harbhajan is no bunny with the bat and is a clean striker of the ball. As an opposition, you obviously won’t want to give away runs. But, at the same time, you will have to take your chances against a lower-order batsman. When that didn’t work, they pushed the fielders back to the ropes… But the problem is that Harbhajan was still clearing the ropes by a good distance. Sreesanth, too, supported him well countering whatever New Zealand threw at him. So, it’s difficult to set a field in such a situation.

His views on Sachin’s dismissal

Irrespective of who you are, it is extremely important to get some runs at the start of the day. When you begin a day, it is always good for your confidence to get some runs… But Sachin didn’t get those runs initially today, as New Zealand were bowling a tight line. Perhaps, that is what led to such a shot and he was dismissed… Maybe, he wanted to break-free. On most of the days, Sachin would get that shot right.

Whether it is disappointing not to build on a start

It is… It’s disappointing when you are dismissed after you have settled yourself in. It is important to carry on after getting a start. But, at the same time, I would also say that as a team, we have been doing pretty well and achieving our goals. Like today, we did well to take a lead. Now, we need to extend that to at least 100 runs. But having said that, it is still a good wicket to bat on. So, we’ll have to bowl well to get New Zealand out.

Vettori’s performance…

He bowled really well all through the day. There’s no doubt that he is a top-class bowler. He varies his flight and pace very intelligently. He had an excellent session in the morning, but was obviously tired towards the end of the day. He had to bowl so many overs… That was the time when Harbhajan dominated him.

On New Zealand’s fielding

Well, they bowled according to their field placements… They kept it straight, but that’s an obvious thing to do in Indian conditions. New Zealand’s ground fielding was brilliant today… It helped create a lot of pressure on us as they saved quite a few runs with their fielding.

If there is a chance for a result in this Test

There’s a lot of time left in the match. In India, the momentum of the game very often shifts on the fourth and fifth days. Hopefully, Harbhajan will get some more runs tomorrow (Monday) and also register his another hundred. But of course, as the match progresses batting will become tougher.