For Indian cricket fans, India’s tour of Australia in 2003-’04 saw Sourav Ganguly and Co go toe-to-toe against the all-conquering side of Steve Waugh. The former Australia captain, though, was the difference between sharing the spoils and Ganguly’s men create history as the first Indian team to win a series Down Under.
Ahead of India’s latest Test series against Australia, here’s Waugh, talking to cricket.com.au and recalling some of the key moments in what is one of the most memorable Border-Gavaskar series of all time.
Looking back at comments in the Australian media that Steve Waugh was hogging the limelight and making that series about him...
I didn’t make it for my benefit, to have the big swansong as some of the commentators mentioned. People never really know what’s going on behind the scenes, but suffice to say I had to make a decision and that’s the decision I made, to announce it before the series, to almost clear the air and let people know.
On getting out hit-wicket in the first Test in Brisbane as Sourav Ganguly helped India achieve a draw...
The first Test wasn’t the best Test – I trod on my stumps and was involved in a run-out, and of course the cheerleaders against me were celebrating and licking their lips up in the commentary box, but you can’t do much about that. There’s always people going to be for and against you, all I could say was I was trying 100 per cent.
On Rahul Dravid’s innings in Adelaide that helped India break a drought in Australia
While it was frustrating not winning a Test match, when you see batting artistry of that calibre you think ‘I don’t mind watching this – but I’d rather it not be me as a captain’.
On Virender Sehwag’s innings in Melbourne in the third Test where he almost scored a double century in two sessions...
He was an incredible player who just didn’t seem to care that he was playing in a Test match, it was like he was playing in his backyard against his mates, he would just throw the bat. He’d go out and dominate from ball one, and that was a different type of Indian player than we’d seen in the past.
When he came out to bat in the final Test Parthiv Patel goaded him to play the slog-sweep to which Waugh had replied, “You were in nappies when I played my first Test match.” On that “banter”...
It’s not sledging. People say there’s too much sledging in the game, I think you can do it in a different way and have a bit of a laugh and a bit of fun. While people say that was a sledge, to me that was banter.
On going for an improbable win in the final session despite India dominating most of the Test match...
I think the greatest accolade we could get from that last day was that (India captain) Sourav Ganguly started to put his fieldsmen back on the fence because he was starting to panic a bit. For us to think – after India declared in both innings, and particularly after 7-700 – we were a chance of winning was pretty amazing. There was a moment in that afternoon session where ‘Katto’ (Katich, 77 not out) and I got together and said ‘let’s see where we can take this’. We were going for it for about 10 overs, then Sourav Ganguly put the field back and it became a bit of a lost cause.
On getting out playing a slog sweep off the rought against Anil Kumble...
Just proving that after 168 Tests you can still do dumb things.
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