In praise of Nazza India might have claimed the series, but it was England who proved the pundits wrong. No wonder that many former players were composing odes to Nasser Hussain. Cricinfo columnist and former India cricketer WV Raman was impressed. "As a captain, he (Hussain) has stuck to a plan and has shown no weakness when faced with a posse of questions from critics. This is the kind of captain a cricketer would love to play under." He also added that "Hussain should be commended for being realistic and going about things in a pragmatic manner." Erapalli Prasanna too was singing the English skipper's praises. "Hussain has exposed a few chinks in the Indian armour and even taught the world a lesson of how to tackle the Indians on their home turf," he wrote. The master spinner was clearly intoxicated by the "blend of eastern wisdom and western professionalism" that Hussain brought to his job.

Sourav Ganguly: Worried, yet triumphant India's 1-0 win over England has provided Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly with another series victory. After the final day's play was called off, Ganguly answered a few queries from the media. He had something to worry about - chairman of selectors Chandu Borde told the press that he is worried about Ganguly's batting form. The Indian captain was confronted with that question and admitted that he is also worried about his form. "I have struggled through the year in the longer version of the game. I have a break after this, and I hope to sort out and come back stronger," he said. "With the standards that have been set in the last six years, my batting in Tests is a bit worrying. I have done well in one-dayers, but I have to do better in Test cricket." Reflecting on India's performance in the series, Ganguly said, "I thought we played well in Mohali to win the first Test match. We played well to save the Ahmedabad Test, and a lot of play was washed out in this Test, so I can't say a lot more than that." When discussing Nasser Hussain's tactics to curtail the runs by asking Ashley Giles to bowl outside the leg-stump, Ganguly said, "We have all seen how they play their cricket. They have their own way of playing the game. They had an obvious strategy and stuck to that. Sometimes it was negative and sometimes it was positive. To get 20 wickets, a bit more attacking is needed." He further added, "All I can say is that India is a place for the spinners to have a go. They could have been a bit more attacking. But that is how Nasser has played the game."

Dalmiya slips in a googly The international press has referred to him condescendingly as 'the son of Satan'. His local press adores him, and rarely ever does a word against him find its way into print. Love him or hate him, you simply cannot ignore Jagmohan Dalmiya. When he arrived in Bangalore during the third and final Test, there was much speculation about the decisions he would take. The rumour mills suggested that Dalmiya would extend the contract of coach John Wright but would terminate the services of physio Andrew Leipus. Having read (and written) so much about Dalmiya, the English press was ready to meet a belligerent, autocratic man. Instead, an immaculately attired, polite and well-groomed Dalmiya addressed the press. Leipus and Wright both stayed on. And what is more, Dalmiya pulled the rug on the 'opposition' when he said, "We understand and appreciate the problems that the ECB faces and will do everything to solve those problems." The gentle side of 'the great dictator'?

Erapalli Prasanna reviews the Test action at his home town of Bangalore in his CricInfo column. Click Here Not yet a member of the most happening cricket community? Join Stumped - CricInfo's online cricket club. Click Here Relive the action, the twists and turns, of the third and final Test at Bangalore with Action Replay. Click Here