Ishant-Laxman stand was crucial say Dhoni, Ponting

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni paid tribute to a "very special" partnership between Laxman and Ishant Sharma. "The character shown by Ishant and Laxman was very special, ably supported by a couple of other batsmen," said Dhoni. Speaking of Laxman, who was battling against a series of back spasms during the innings, Dhoni said: "He's a remarkable batsman because if he is at the crease, whatever field you set, he can still rotate the strike, score boundaries and the scoreboard keeps ticking over.

"He's a really amazing batsman to have at number six, but because of the back injury, he batted down the order. He did a real good job for us."

Meanwhile, Ponting said: "This is one of the most exciting Test matches that I have ever played.u00a0 "We had our nose ahead. The partnership (between Laxman and Sharma) made the difference." The next Test starts in Bangalore on Saturday.