Tuesday February 27, 2001

Courageous Decision Pays Off

It takes a courageous man to win the toss and send the opposition into bat on an Indian pitch. Today, that courage looks to have paid off as the 'good guys' are sitting in a strong position at the end of day one.

One thing Stephen Waugh is not short of is courage. Whether he has a bat in his hand or is wearing his captain's hat, he is always looking to back himself, and his players, regardless of the situation. At the end of play, he confessed to me that his decision to bowl first was the riskiest captaincy decision he has made in his career. He said his gut feeling was telling him to bowl first although logic was suggesting the opposite.

One of the most important aspects of captaincy is having the conviction to back your gut feeling. On this occasion, our captain's gut feeling indicated that he was sticking with his belief that our best way to defeat the Indians is through attacking them with our fast bowling brigade. At one stage, when Sachin was simply in a class of his own, a few doubts may have crept through 'Tugga's' mind. However, thanks to our two superstar champion bowler's Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, we were always able to apply enough pressure to stay on top of the Indian batting order.

"One of the most important aspects of captaincy is having the conviction to back your gut feeling."

It would be remiss of me not to mention Sachin's batting after lunch. It was as close to batting genius, in these conditions, as I have ever seen. While his teammates were falling around him, he played a few shots that had me, my ten teammates, the two umpires and everyone watching from the ground and on television simply shaking their heads in awe. His straight driving off both the front and back foot was incredible. How a man, who could not be much taller than five feet six inches, can dominate an attack like he does is beyond belief. His elegance was incredible to watch and I can categorically admit everyone in the baggy green was relieved to see the end of him.

It is a tribute to Glenn McGrath's brilliance that he was able to wear down the little Indian master. His reward was the prized wicket, eventually caught behind before he reached his century. 'Pigeon's' ability to bowl marathon stints, without giving the opposing batsmen anything to score off, is sensational. As impressive was 'Warney's' career best figures on Indian soil, which saw him spin the ball as if he is at his best. With seven wickets in the practice match last week and four today, a confident Shane Warne is a pleasure to have as a teammate.

The feeling in the team before play today was electric. There was a very emotional atmosphere behind the walls of our changing room this morning. The passing of The Don, married with a steely determination to play well here in India, brewed a very positive mix of enthusiasm and sentiment. When we walked out on to the field, to a roar rivaling the MCG on Boxing Day, it felt like the eleven guys in baggy green caps were ready to run through brick walls. I would have to say the whole day was as exciting and memorable as I have played in test cricket.

Unfortunately, I can not seeing the remainder of the game being a bed of roses for the Aussies. There were signs in the last session that the ball is going to spin and bounce as much as I have seen on a cricket field. While we could claim a stake to winning day one, it is going to be hard work making the most of the advantage over the next few days. There is still plenty of cricket left in this match. It is going to take some example from our captain's courage to win day two.

From Mumbai

JL

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