Century holds emotional value, says Steve Waugh

Rifat Jawaid in Calcutta

Australia skipper Steve Waugh said his century in the second Test, at the Eden Gardens on Monday, is of 'emotional' significance for him.

Talking to reporters at the post match conference, Waugh said he had never expected to reach to the magic figure once his team had lost eight wickets for 260-odd runs on Sunday afternoon.

The charismatic Aussie captain, however, showered praise on Jason Gillespie, who scored his Test best while helping him reach his first hundred the Eden.

Waugh said: "When your number 10 comes out to bat you don't expect him to score a hundred. The wicket was very flat with uneven bounce. Yeah, I never thought I had a chance, but all of a sudden I was in the nineties and it was when I began fancying my chances.

"Though it's difficult to rate today's century, I must say it holds a lot of emotional value for me due to my years long entente with the people of Calcutta even off the cricket field."

Waugh justified his decision to take singles off first balls even while batting with a tail-ender.

"I always believe that lower order players too should contribute towards the team's score. They spend as much time on net as us. So, what's the point if you can't give them opportunity to prove their mettle as well. That's why I, instead of trying to hold the strike, kept running for singles and reposed faith in Jason. They, in fact, have better opportunity to score boundaries since the field is going to be up and you can easily hit the balls to the fence," Waugh remarked.

Did he fell any pressure after Harbhajan Singh wreaked havoc in the Aussie camp to claim his first hat-trick?

Waugh said he always "enjoys playing under such situations", and never ever thought his team would not be able to bounce back in the game.

"I always thought that there was no reason why we can't put up a reasonable total on the board. That's the reason I started giving confidence to Jason, because the wicket was flat. It wasn't doing a lot and we played couple of loose shots, but, thankfully, got away with them. Having said that I must give full credit to the batsmen and bowlers who played really well," he said.

He described Day Two of the Test as one of the great days of his cricket, and added the Aussies couldn't have batted any better. While praising his bowlers and 'exceptional' fielding, especially that of 'keeper Adam Gilchrist, Waugh said Tendulkar's dismissal was the turning point.

"Catches play an important role in any team's victory; catches put the opposition under a lot of pressure, prompting the opposition batsmen to think that even a minor mistake could cost him his wicket.

"Truth to tell, Sachin's was a big wicket. Once we took his wicket, I had the feeling that we could bowl India today. We felt confident and we thought we were gonna have it."

Asked whether he thinks the second Test will not last beyond the third day, Waugh appeared very diplomatic. "I cant say whether the game would be over in three days. The game can change quickly. Yesterday India was on top, but today its the other way around, with we having an edge of 60-40. So, there is no reason why India can't put up a brave fight. This is what Test cricket all about," he said.

He felt there was nothing wrong with Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly's decision to opt for the new ball soon after the start of the second day's play, as there was bounce in the wicket and the Aussies had a tail-ender on the other side batting.

How does it feel to be a world beater, with his team close to winning its 17th successive Test?

Waugh said his side has very hardworking and professional players. "We play hard and practice hard. It takes a lot of hard work to reach where we have reached today."

Describing the Eden Gardens as the Lord's of the subcontinent, Waugh said he has far too many sentimental attachments with Calcutta and its people even off the field.

"We won the Word Cup here in '97, so a lot of good memories. In fact, we lost a Test match here a couple of years ago. Having said that I am extremely pleased that I played quite a satisfying innings of my life."

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