Agencies, Hyderabad Vice-captain of the Australian cricket team, Shane Watson, today asserted that the Chennai debacle was a thing of the past as they were all geared up to win the second Test and draw level in the four-match Test series.
The match will be played at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium here from March 2 to 6. Stating that the mindset was focussed on the job on hand, he told reporters after a gruelling four-hour practice session in the morning that they would not get caught in any psychological traps following the eight-wicket loss to India. He said they were here to win the series and they would go all out to achieve the same with a positive frame of mind. Giving full credit to the home team, Watson said the first Test had slipped away from their hands once Mahendra Singh Dhoni began accelerating the innings with his double century. He contended that Dhoni and Ravichandran Ashwin, who bowled extremely well, brought out the differences between the two teams.
He also said that had Dhoni gone about his knock at a relatively slower pace, the outcome could probably have been different. Watson said he enjoyed batting on Indian conditions. Denying that he was bowling less, the all-rounder said as a member of the top four in the batting order, his primary task was to score runs. The bowlers will render their part. “Given a choice, I would opt to bat at Number 4 because that is a position I enjoy,” he pointed out. On the likelihood of the wicket at Hyderabad, Watson said that it appeared good. ‘I am sure that there will be sufficient bounce before it wears out and helps the spinners,’ he pointed out while indicating that unlike for the first Test, Australia was yet to name its 12, because, ‘having a second spinner is an option we are keenly pursuing. Another look at the wicket tomorrow will help us to decide the final composition.’
Watson said irrespective of whether one is a youngster or a seasoned campaigner, it was imperative that he should be able to perform on all sorts of wickets. ‘It is a common practice for the host to prepare a wicket that is tailor-made to their strengths. We should be prepared to deliver on any surface that comes to us,’ he said in a matter-of-fact tone,’ he said while indicating that they would go into the match with a revised strategy. Meanwhile, the Indians had their first taste of the wicket when they had a practice session post-lunch. A major indicator of the things to come was the presence of security personnel around, who double-checked the media representatives at the gate and barred the entry of eager fans who wished to have a glimpse of the cricketers.
