Harbhajan stresses india can come out of any situation... yes... even after being 82 for six
Harbhajan stresses india can come out of any situation... yes... even after being 65 for six
Harbhajan Singh yesterday became the the first No 8 batsman to score a fifty and a hundred in the same Test since South Africa's Eric Dalton in August 1935.
That's the enormity of the achievement! While a handful of bookies, who placed their bets on New Zealand wining the Motera Test would have been licking their lips at the end of an eventful fourth day that saw India on 82-6, the men who matter enjoyed an extended session of swimming late on Sunday evening.
Not for a second were the Indians unsure of saving the Test and going to the city of Nawabs (Hyderabad) at level-pegging.u00a0
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| Harbhajan Singh celebrates his maiden Test century against NZ in Ahmedabad, yesterday
pic/AFP |
It is that sort of self-belief that has propelled Mahendra Singh Dhoni & Co to the No 1 ranking in Test cricket.
Yesterday, Harbhajan set the ball rolling by driving a Chris Martin half-volley through the covers, subsequently VVS Laxman assumed the role of secondary batsman, giving the Turbanator from Jalandar the license to thrill. The duo added 163 runs to bat New Zealand out of the game.
"Now I know how it feels to get a hundred," a relieved Harbhajan, who felt just 31 runs short of a ton in the first innings, said yesterday.
"More importantly, it saved the game for us, so it is indeed special. Laxman kept egging me on throughout my innings. I wouldn't have scored the hundred had it not been for him.
"I never set out playing the game thinking that I'd get a hundred in a Test match with the bat," added Harbhajan, who has an impressive 369 scalps from the 88 Tests he has played this far.
"In the morning, coach Gary (Kirsten) told me to pick the right shots. Later, Laxman told me not to play on the rise. It helps when you get advice. My life was made much easier," said Harbhajan.
Prior to the remarkable effort at Motera, India won their previous three Tests by chasing 200-plus totals on the final day.
"This is what the No 1 team can dou00a0-- we can come out of any situation. Everyone felt that if Ishant Sharma and Laxman can win at Mohali, then we are capable of greatness," Bhajji signed off.
