The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Windies batters missed the trick, says Harbhajan

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Monday, Jun 26, 2006

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Sport - Cricket

Windies batters missed the trick, says Harbhajan

Special Correspondent

Basseterre: For all the wiles spinners are purported to have, Harbhajan Singh uses neither convolution of phrase nor deceptive understatement. The off-spinner from Punjab is a straight talker: he calls it as he sees it.

``We didn't know what they were doing,'' he said of the West Indies batsmen playing slowly before lunch on day three. ``We didn't know if they wanted a result. They could have put us under pressure if they scored 600 or 650 quickly. It didn't look like they wanted to win.''

After being dropped for the first Test, and being ruled out of the second because of a groin injury, Harbhajan took his 18th five-wicket haul. ``I bowled a better line and length than the first day. The track is a batsman's paradise, and I got hit for 42 in my first seven overs. It's always tough to come back from that.''

Crucial spell

``My confidence returned with the second spell on the first day. I was really getting my body behind the ball, and I got my rhythm back. I can do better than this.''

How tough was it bowling to the marauding Chris Gayle? ``I took it as a challenge. Maybe he wasn't comfortable defending. I don't know what the story was. He got away with it. Next time, I'll have better plans.'' Would it have been any different if some decisions went the other way? ``Yes, if things go in your favour, it makes a difference, but these things happen.''

Dead track

On repeated questioning about whether his clean-up of the tail proved he should have been included in the first Test, Harbhajan pointed out the situation was different: ``They looked to attack, so it was easier to take wickets. When you defend on this track, it's tough to get out. Even I will make runs on this track. It reminded me of Lahore. You had to be brave, give it flight, and put it in the right areas.''

How hard was it to sit out the previous games? ``It's tough; it's difficult to watch from the outside. But, it's part of the game. You learn a lot watching cricket.''

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