Dhoni hails bowlers after India square series

By N.Ananthanarayanan

KANPUR, India (Reuters) - India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni credited his side's disciplined bowling on a turning pitch after they defeated South Africa by eight wickets in the third and final test on Sunday to square the series.

India skittled the tourists out for 121 in their second innings, their third lowest total against India, before coasting to the small victory target of 62 on the third evening.

"Most of the times we got wickets just after bowling changes, but the appreciation and credit should go to the bowlers," he told reporters. "There was assistance, but they bowled really well, especially the fast bowlers.

"In the second innings, everybody knew what lengths to bowl."

Indian off spinner Harbhajan Singh and part-time slow bowler Virender Sehwag grabbed seven scalps in the South African second innings as the last eight wickets fell for 56 runs.

Harbhajan took seven wickets in the match while young pacemen Ishant Sharma bowled impressively to claim five.

"The way Harbhajan and Viru bowled, it was just a matter of time," he said. "There were no easy singles on offer, so we put a lot of pressure on them."

Dhoni rejected criticism that the pitch was prepared only because India slumped to an innings defeat on a green surface in the second test.