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We prepared from 2001: Gilchrist

October 29, 2004 20:44 IST

Adam Gilchrist punching the air and embracing his teammates after Australia got the last Indian batsman out in the third Test; the Australian players gathering in a huddle made famous by the Indians; Brett Lee calling for the Australian flag from the tour group during the presentation ceremony; Matthew Hayden lying on the grass with beer in hand, letting victory sink in, and the team singing in the dressing room.

These were scenes of relief. The Final Frontier was conquered. History had been on the wrong side for a long time. Now, this Australian team corrected it.

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"It [the series victory] is very pleasing. The Australian team had started preparing for the Indian series from Chennai 2001. John Buchanan's mind had started ticking from then," said Gilchrist, who led the side for the first three Tests in the absence of an injured Rick Ponting.

Like Damien Martyn and Michael Clarke, the other batsmen, he said, got a lot of first hand experience while playing on Indian wickets during the TVS Cup last year.

"When I batted in the nets then, it was exactly how I would in the Test matches, facing Anil Kumble or Harbhajan Singh. I think everything worked out perfectly.

"The Sri Lankan tour just came in time and we got time to adjust to the subcontinent wickets," he said.

Gilchrist reiterated that despite it being a historic victory, he wouldn't rank the series as the most important he's played in.

"It is important, but I wouldn't like to compare it with the Ashes or any other series."

Gilchrist was captain of Australia when they created the world record for the number of consecutive wins in Test cricket [win no. 12 against the West Indies; Australia broke the West Indies' record of 11 consecutive wins] and now he shattered India's 35-year-old dominance at home with ease.

"I think the series went pretty much as we had planned and we would have won the series even if Ricky [Ponting] was the captain. The whole team had worked towards the goal and I am happy that the plans were executed."

Australia put up yet another team effort in Nagpur, but batting was probably the difference between the two teams. On a pitch which saw India being bowled out quickly, the Australians batted with cunning ease, especially in the second innings.

Gilchrist agreed that India mentally surrendered after looking at the wicket even before the first ball.

"I think so. But then lots of teams in the past have been psyched out looking at Indian wickets."

He revealed that the Australian team had chosen to be a little 'closed' this time after getting overwhelmed by the response of Indian media and fans in 1998 and 2001.

"We put too much emphasis in embracing the culture on the earlier tours. The last time I tried to sign every autograph asked of me and made every appearance and been good to everyone. I think the attention in India tends to gobble you up after some time. And, I think, we were mindful of that this time."

Deepti Patwardhan