More five-wicket hauls will
follow: Harbhajan
After picking his first five-wicket haul on foreign soil on Sunday, India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh said he would now set out to prove his detractors wrong on more than one point in the coming days.
"I read -- somebody has pointed out -- I don't have a good
shoulder; I cannot bowl or make runs. I have given a fitting
reply on the first two points. Hopefully, the third would also
be set alright tomorrow," said Harbhajan, after the
second day's play in the fifth and final cricket Test against the West
Indies in Kingston, Jamaica.
Harbhajan claimed five wickets for 138 runs and made
several hard throws from the deep to prove his effectiveness
on foreign pitches as also allay fears about the condition of his shoulder.
The young off-spinner, who completed 100 Test wickets
with his first dismissal in this match on the opening day, did
not play in the first Test because of a shoulder strain and
picked only six wickets in the next two Tests in Port of Spain
and Barbados, where he was selected ahead of ace leg spinner Anil Kumble.
"I don't think I struggled in the earlier Tests. I bowled
well in Trinidad and Barbados. I have bowled well and it was
only a matter of time before I got wickets," he said.
"The five-wicket haul was good but I could have done
better than this performance. Still, it is a good performance
and I am happy for picking up my first five-wicket haul
abroad. A lot and lot of five-wicket hauls will follow in
future," he said.
Harbhajan said he did not try anything special,
considering that the track was unresponsive for spinners, and credited his teammate Dinesh Mongia for providing useful
tips.
"It's a good wicket, but there is not much there in it for
me so far. So I just tried to bowl a good line and length.
"Dinesh [Mongia] told me at the break that I should be bowling from
round the wicket to Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ridley Jacobs
and I did well to pay heed to his advice," he said.
Though he had modest success on the tour before his
match, Harbhajan has troubled star West Indies batsman Brian
Lara in practically every match.
"He didn't face too many balls in this game. I don't get
overawed with reputations, be it Steve Waugh or Sachin
Tendulkar."
He expressed hope of India making a strong recovery
when play resumes on the third day.
India closed out the second day, on Sunday, at 141 for four in reply to the West Indies first
innings total of 422.
"It's a five-day game. You can't say anything. We just
need one partnership in the morning. I am very confident we
will make 350 or 400," he said, adding that his own
contribution with the bat would not be insignificant.
"I have been practicing hard in the nets. I would prove a
lot of my critics wrong tomorrow," he concluded.
Mail Cricket Editor