Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara made a blunder by opting to bat first in the fourth ODI only to see his bowlers struggling to grip a wet ball, according to India's stand-in skipper Virender Sehwag.
Elated after leading the team to the series win with one match to spare, Sehwag said he knew dew would be a factor at the Eden Gardens at this time of the year.
"We knew dew would be a factor here in this weather. Even if I had won the toss, we would have fielded.
"It (Sangakkara's decision) was good for my spinners who could grip the ball when it was dry and operate," Sehwag said.
Man of the Match Gautam Gambhir, whose unbeaten 150 was the cornerstone of India's chase, also felt Sangakkara erred in his judgement.
"We knew the dew would be a big factor. Even when we last played here, Graeme Smith got a hundred and it was hard for the bowlers to grip the ball.
"The same happened with the Sri Lankan bowlers today," observed Gambhir, architect of India's series-clinching seven-wicket win.
Sangakkara, however, placed the blame on his pacers, saying they erred in their line and length.
"(Suranga) Lakmal and (Suraj) Randiv bowled well but there wasn't enough back-up. Maybe it was little difficult for spinners like Sanath (Jayasuriya) and (Tillakaratne) Dilshan but I think our pacers bowled either too short or too full on either side of the wicket. The fast bowlers should have been more disciplined," Sangakkara said. More PTI
