Kumar Sangakkara with teammates after the final Test, in Colombo, on Saturday. (AP)

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni lauded V.V.S Laxman’s match-winning unbeaten 103 as the visitors recorded a five-wicket victory in the third and final Test, against Sri Lanka, to level the series 1-1. At a media conference, after the match, on Saturday, Dhoni also said that India have a talented bowling attack.

The following are excerpts

On Laxman’s innings

That’s why he is called ‘very very special’. He has always come up with the innings that has a huge bearing on the game. He paced his innings really well. He was struggling with back spasms and still he wanted to go on without a runner… There was pain and pressure. He’s a very special player and played another of his special innings. Hopefully, there will be more such.

Laxman’s role…

He has done well for us. Normally he bats at No. 5. It’s the ideal period to bat where you get a good start, but it’s also very crucial. He’s more of an accumulator. As far as fielding is concerned, he is always there, as a slip catcher or at short-cover or forward short-leg. He has some limitations when it comes to running fast, but that’s never from lack of commitment. He’s always there on the field… Whether we have bowled 100 overs or 120 overs, he is there and 100 per cent awake, which is at times difficult to do.

Whether it was a team plan that Suresh Raina would play more aggressively

Not really… He just plays his game. Whatever his strength is, he just backs himself to do well. You can always do that, especially when you’re fresh and have less burden on your shoulders. It’s justified too. He batted well…

The Yuvraj-Raina conundrum

It’s quite early to decide. We’ll have to face different scenarios. We all know Raina is very talented… So is Yuvraj Singh, who is one of those free flowing batsmen who, on his day, can really tear apart the opposition. We are playing the ODIs next and so we are not really thinking about the Tests. Let’s wait and watch, and we'll decide before the next Test series.

Strategy against Suraj Randiv

Most of the players in our batting line-up have played 100 Tests or are close to playing 100 Tests. They all make their own plans. The first few overs were very important because the ball was quite hard which meant spinners would get bounce and turn. When the day started we were around 200 runs away… But as you play more and more and the amount of required runs goes down, there’s the pressure on the fielding captain whether to attack or go with a semi-defensive field, which means you will, at least, get the single.

If this was a special win for him

It’s very difficult to compare… It’s not the first time that I’m the captain and we’re 0-1 down and we have to win to level the series. To pick one of the Test matches among the few I’ve played or captained is difficult. Every match is special in its own way.

Whether winning with a depleted bowling attack was special

We did have a depleted attack but, at the same time, I felt that we had a talented attack. Ishant (Sharma) has been doing relatively well for a while. It was a good opportunity for (Abhimanyu) Mithun to see what Test cricket is all about. As for the spinners, (Pragyan) Ojha bowled well and kept the pressure on. (Amit) Mishra bowled well in the first innings, kept it up to the batsmen and didn’t give them opportunity to cut and pull.

In hindsight, if they could have tried something different against (Ajantha) Mendis when he batted

Not really… There was nothing really for the bowlers in that period. We tried all the fielding set-ups possible… Bowlers were not getting the same bite. The bounce was softer and, even the faster bowlers were not getting the same zip. That was one of the main reasons why Mendis batted really well.

On the series

If we had lost the series, it would have been because of the batsmen. However, a draw means both the batsmen and the bowlers did decently. If you take into account all the three Tests, the first one was disappointing. After that both the departments picked up.

The P. Sara Oval wicket

We knew there would be something for the spinners. But I didn’t expect it to turn from the very first day, so I was surprised a bit. This is what you can call a sporting wicket in the subcontinent. This is what we specialise in.