India's win is great for Test
cricket: Geoff Marsh

Former Australia opener Geoff Marsh on Friday said India's magnificent victory in the second Test, at Calcutta, has not only boosted the confidence of the Indians but also gave a fillip to the longer version of the game.

Marsh, who is a consultant to the Board of Control for Cricket in India, said the Indian team has a number of talented youngsters and it was great to see all of them come good when the chips were down.

"Yesterday's win has done a great thing not only for Indian cricket in particular but for Test cricket in general," Marsh, who was part of an Aussie golf team which won a tournament at the Royal Palms, Bombay, on Thursday, added.

Marsh, who stepped down as Australia coach after the World Cup in England in 1999, said the Australians did everything they could when V V S Laxman and Rahul Dravid were tearing the bowling apart but the duo played a splendid innings.

"The Indians came back brilliantly and batted beautifully on the fourth day and must have bowled brilliantly on the final day to win with quite a big margin.

"With this win the Indians have not only squared the three-Test match series one-all but have created immense interest for the Chennai Test, which I am sure will be a real thriller," he added.

Marsh's opening partner David Boon said, "Laxman and Dravid really played well and I think it was just one bad day that did the Australians in. Of course they [Aussies] have not had a bad day in the last 16 Tests, so I think it was due any way."

Mail Cricket Editor