England captain Nasser Hussain believes self-belief was one of the keys to his team's performance in the second Test in Ahmedabad after their poor start to the series in Mohali.

Although England failed to force a win on the final day, they still have the chance to square the series in Bangalore next week.

"From how we played in Mohali to here we were a different side," Hussain said.

"The effort over all five days was exceptional. We have got a lot of belief in our team and we have just worked hard - that is the answer to most things.

"To bowl out Indian side on that wicket for 290 in the first innings was an exceptional effort."

Hussain had praise for wicketkeeper James Foster and off-spinner Richard Dawson, as well as left-arm spinner Ashley Giles, who returned from injury to take five Indian wickets in the first innings.

"For Foster and Dawson, in their second games, to come back with their heads held high was impressive. Ashley is a very welcome member of the team. He has put in a lot of effort in the gym so to come back and get five-for is a great effort."

Craig White was made man of the match after scoring his first Test century.

"It was great team effort over five days," he said. "I had a 93 in Pakistan and so to get my first Test 100 was a great feeling. I felt we just had to bat and get as many runs as we could and be positive. You had to be patient and once you were in it got a little bit easier."

India captain Sourav Ganguly agreed that England were the better side at Ahmedabad. "England played pretty well in this Test match," he said. "It was a flat deck, but I thought the spinners worked pretty well. We did well today to still be up 1-0 going to Bangalore. We were under pressure because it was not an easy wicket for the new batsmen."

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