Not putting any pressure on myself paid off, says Kartik

Mumbai, Oct 17 (UNI) Murli Kartik, the hero of India's incredible two-wicket win, said the secret of his performance today was ''not putting any pressure on myself and just enjoying being there.'' Murali Kartik, speaking to the media after leading India to a consolation two-wicket win, also revealed he shared jokes with batting partner Zaheer Khan to keep his calm during the chase.

After his six-wicket haul broke Australia's back, Kartik shone with the bat as well. He was unbeaten on 21 and it was his unbeaten 52-run stand with Zaheer (31 not out) that frustrated the Australians and guided India home in the see-saw match.

"It was a special day and it belonged to me. There was lot of pressure when we were batting. In between balls, we discussed how many runs we needed and decided to go one run at a time." Wankhede Stadium has never let him down and the left-arm spinner said the venue has been indeed a happy hunting ground for him.

"It's a special place for me. I broke a record here in an Irani Trophy match and I got my last Man of the Match award here in 2004-5. So it has been a happy hunting ground for me," said Kartik of the venue where he took seven wickets to lead India to a famous Test win against the same opponents in 2004-05.

UNI