"Negative" Giles aims to bowl more dot balls

Calcutta, India, January 16: England left-arm spinner Ashley Giles said Wednesday he was not worried by criticism over his negative bowling tactics against India in last month's Test series.

Giles and skipper Nasser Hussain were both severely criticised for the run-containing bowling during Tests, with former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar describing the visiting team as "boring".

"I will be very happy if he (Gavaskar) remembers me even for this," said the 29-year-old Warwickshire spinner, expected to play a major role in the one-day series starting here on Saturday.

Giles said he knew he could not bowl a leg-stump line in the one-dayers, but had plans to keep the Indian batsmen silent in the shorter version of the game also.

"I will try to put pressure on the batsmen by keeping a good line and length and bowling dot balls," he said.

Giles often bowled over the stumps and into the 'roughs' outside the leg-stump in the last two drawn Tests at Ahmedabad and Bangalore in a bid to deny Indian batsmen, especially Sachin Tendulkar, scoring opportunities.

England lost the three-Test series 1-0, their lone defeat coming in the opening match at Mohali.

Giles's negative line of attack drove Tendulkar to frustration at Bangalore, where the master batsman stepped out to try a big shot, missed the line and was stumped for the first time in his illustrious career.

The England spinner, however, defended his bowling, saying he did not do anything illegal in Tests.

"Whatever I did was within the rules of the game," said Giles, who returned a career-best 5-67 in the second Test at Ahmedabad.

Giles said he enjoyed taking wickets against Indians whom he considered the best players of spin on home pitches.

"I enjoy playing against every country," he said. "But Indians play spin very well on these pitches. So, when you get wickets against them it gives you great pleasure."

Giles, however, conceded that his team would find it tough beating India at home in one-dayers as they had good spinners in Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh.

"We will have to play at our best to beat them," he said. "Kumble has got more than 300 wickets which is a fantastic effort and Harbhajan is highly talented. It is a pleasure playing against them."