Steve Waugh: We didn't expect Harbhajan to take 32 wickets
Anand Vasu - 22 March 2001
The way Steve Waugh addressed the press at the MA Chidambaram Stadium
after losing the series was testimony to the character and temperament
of the Australian captain. Having no illusions about the way things
transpired, Waugh was gracious in defeat, magnanimous in praise and
patient with questions.
Talking about the turning point in the series, the Aussie skipper
singled out Laxman's innings at Kolkata for praise. "Laxman's innings
made a huge difference. Not only did he save the Test match for them
but he also showed the way for some of their other batsmen. He showed
them that you could succeed at this level if you have belief in your
ability. It freed up a lot of the others. Dravid, for one, batted with
much more fluency after that." The innings of 281 Laxman played at
Kolkata, and the manner in which he made runs truly changed the way
the Indians approached the game.
But it was not Laxman all the way. Although he put the runs on the
board and gave India a fine chance, nothing would have been possible
without the magic of Harbhajan Singh. Before the Aussies came to
India, the home side's biggest concern was the bowling. With Anil
Kumble injured, who was going to bowl out the Australians? Harbhajan
Singh rose to the occasion by taking 32 wickets. "He bowled
beautifully. Good line, kept it on a length and he was able to get
more bounce than our spinners because he has a different type of
action. We knew he would play a role but we certainly didn't expect
him to have such an impact and finish with 32 wickets."
The clash between India and Australia was sufficiently hyped up before
it began. Labeled the 'last frontier' by many, the series became a
talking point with cricket pundits. For Steve Waugh and the
Australians too it was clear that victory in India meant a great deal.
However, on losing, Steve Waugh was keen not to be dragged down too
much. "I've always left it to you guys to judge us as a team. The
scoreline of 2-1 may not look too great but we've played some great
cricket in this series. It's been a great three Test matches. And if
you look at it, we were in a position to win all three Tests. That
might not have happened but we got closer than most Australian sides
touring India have ever done."
That is the plain truth. Even in loss, the Aussies suffered no
humiliation, no dishonour.
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