India skipper Sourav Ganguly on Sunday defended his bowlers despite their failure to take their team to victory in the drawn opening cricket Test in Ahmedaba, India.

The hosts were in a winning position after spinners Anil Kumble (4-95) and Harbhajan Singh (2-65) had reduced New Zealand to 4-86 and then 6-169 in pursuit of a 370-run target, but failed to complete the job.

New Zealand middle-order batsman Craig McMillan (83 not out) and Nathan Astle (51 not out) put on 103 for the unfinished seventh wicket to save the match.

"No, I don't think our bowlers are not good enough to bowl the opposition out twice. They bowled well on a pitch which did not favour them. They tried very hard," said Ganguly.

"It's up to the people who have the responsibility to see how they prepare wickets in the country."

The Sardar Patel Stadium track here offered only slow turn, even on the fifth day, which was not good enough for the Indian spinners to complete the victory.

Ganguly said he was not disappointed with the result and his team would make another effort to force a win in the second and last Test, starting at Mohali on Thursday.

"It's not a disappointing start to the series," he said.

"We dominated the Test right from the beginning. It's just that we could not translate it into victory. The surface at Mohali will be different and if our batsmen put runs on the board again, we have a chance of winning there."

New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming praised his batsmen for drawing the match from a difficult position.

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