Former Australian skipper Steve Waugh was involved in a number of contests with veteran Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh. Australia playing against India in 2001 was one of the best series of Test cricket played on Indian soil. India won the series 2-1 and Harbhajan took 32 wickets in the series. It remains the most wickets taken by any Indian bowler in a Test series till date. Meanwhile, Waugh has recalled some tough battles against the Indian spinner over the years.
Talking to Cricket Australia, Waugh said that Harbhajan Singh played cricket the ‘Australian way’ which is tough, aggressive and in your face.
“He played in the same vein, the same spirit and the same method as we did. That’s probably why we found him a bit prickly because it was like playing against ourselves in the opposition. He played cricket the Aussie way. He was in your face, a bit of talk, aggressive, positive and he backed himself,” Waugh said.
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He also revealed the reason behind the success of Harbhajan Singh. He said the bat-pad was a key way for him to get wickets as he used to get a lot of bounce in his deliveries.
“He wasn’t a traditional off-spinner. He got a bit overspin and bounce. It wasn’t always the sharp turn, but the subtle variations and bounce. Got caught bat-pad pretty regularly off him,” said Waugh.
Harbhajan Singh Won Series For India in 2001: Steve Waugh
Waugh lauded Harbhajan Singh for winning India the Test series in 2001. He said the Australian batsmen failed to counter the bounce of Harbhajan in that particular series.
“He won the series for India in 2001. 32 wickets in 3 Tests. We just couldn’t counteract his bounce. He got this amazing bounce off the length. Every spell he bowled against, he dominated us. Incredible strike rate bowled a lot of overs and was consistent,” Waugh mentioned.
Meanwhile, in the fourth Test at The Gabba, Australia have lost their top three after winning the toss and electing to bat first.
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