Ahmedabad: Young South African speedster Dale Steyn today added insult to injury for the Indian team claiming the home team's batsmen panicked after losing a couple of early wickets and lacked a proper game plan.

"The Indians were scared after losing a couple of wickets. This is what happens when you don't come with a clear game plan," the 24-year-old fast bowler said after the first day's play at the Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium here. Steyn (five for 23), Makhaya Ntini (three for 18) and Morne Morkel (two for 20) sent India scampering for cover with their pace and dismissed the hosts in only 20 overs in the first session of the second Test.

The young pacer, who first got rid off Virender Sehwag in his opening spell and also scalped Rahul Dravid with a beauty, said the key was bowling short of a length and then pitching the ball up to the Indians. "The short balls followed up by fuller length ones got the wickets. Nobody could come on to the front foot," he said.

After the pasting at the hands of Sehwag in Chennai, Steyn said the visitors knew what they had to do against the Delhi dasher. "We had a game plan for Sehwag. The wicket of Dravid was special," Steyn, who later added three tail-enders to complete his five-wicket haul, said.

After 319 in the first Test, Sehwag made only six today before chopping an intended forcing shot on to his stumps. Dravid played inside the ball and was comprehensively bowled. Steyn said he did not expect to see the grass cover on the wicket when he reached the venue.

"I was surprised to see the grass on the pitch," he said. The paceman also wondered why India opted to bat first after winning the toss if, as per some reports, they did not get the pitch they wanted. "If they did not get the pitch they wanted, why did they bat first?" he queried.

Source : PTI