One of a kind

Incredible form in the Sheffield Season prior to the Christmas season that year had made Steve Waugh one of the most obvious picks for the summer. Waugh himself, however, wasn’t so sure. His call-up to the squad was surprising, but even then, he was expecting to be the twelfth man. Had Greg Ritchie not injured his toe, that might’ve been the case.

Steve made his debut on a boxing day Test match. Image credits: CricketCountry

Incredible form in the Sheffield Season prior to the Christmas season that year had made Steve Waugh one of the most obvious picks for the summer. Waugh himself, however, wasn’t so sure. His call-up to the squad was surprising, but even then, he was expecting to be the twelfth man. Had Greg Ritchie not injured his toe, that might’ve been the case.

Waugh, who was admittedly a bundle of nerves prior to the game, had every reason to be so. After the World Cup campaign in ’83 and the recently concluded Benson-Hedges cup, India had really made a statement to the world that they aren’t the underdogs, no matter where they play. A perfect blend of experience and young blood guaranteed an entertaining series.

Australia lost the toss and was asked to bat first. The Indian bowling attack was quick to pounce on their minute fragilities as the scorecard quickly read 90/4, meaning it was Waugh’s turn to come out and bat. After a couple of boundaries, he nicked a half volley and handed a catch to Kapil Dev, who was standing at second slip. Thanks to a century by Greg Matthews down the order, the Aussies were able to take their score to 262.

A first innings total of 262 had let out the impression of it being a low-scoring game, but the visitors had vastly different plans. By the time play resumed on the second day, the pitch had dried off considerably and Indian batters looked comfortable taking the game deep and plowing down a major deficit in Australia’s balance sheet. Fifties for Srikkanth, Vengesarkar and Kapil Dev and 49 runs by Shastri (who had also taken 4 wickets) resulted in India scoring 445 runs, 183 runs ahead of Australia.

Shastri continued his good form and took 4 more wickets in the game’s third innings. Victory for the Australians seemed out of question, so it was then about batting long and staying in the game. The captain Allan Border, who came out to bat at 32-1, scored one of the most memorable centuries on Australian soil at the time. He came in to bat after the first wicket and his was the last wicket to fall, for 163 runs. The Aussies had batted long enough to take victory out of the equation; India needed 126 runs with only 25 overs to square them.

The game ended in a draw with Waugh unsure of his future and unaware of the heights it was going to take.

The greatest Test captain ever?

Waugh was handed the reins of Australian captaincy almost 12 years after his debut after captain Mark Taylor and his deputy Ian Healy were both dropped from the side. With a new captain and a new wicket-keeper in Adam Gilchrist, a new phase was set to begin for Australian cricket. In his first home season as captain, which came in 1999-2000, we saw Gilchrist elevate to the status of Australia’s greatest Wicket-keeper batsman. The bowling attack was at par with the Windies ’83 unit or Pakistan in the early 90s, comprising McGrath, Gillespie, Kasprowicz and Warne.

Under the astute leadership of Steve Waugh, Australia notched up the world record of 16 consecutive Test wins. The streak lasted till, what Waugh called, was ‘The Final Frontier’, when Australia toured India (a place where they hadn’t won a Test series since 1969-70). After a comprehensive win by 10 wickets in the first Test and imposing a follow-on on the hosts in the second game, Laxman and Dravid batted into oblivion and won an unwinnable game to keep the series alive. The streak had been broken and India ended up winning the series as well.

Waugh’s promotion as the Australian captain had changed the dynamics of the game for the nation. Best known for strong-arming the deadliest competitors, their era of dominance is still revered as one of a kind. He also captained Australia to victory in the 1999 ODI World Cup, which was also a great testament to his genius, considering Australia won their last 7 games in a row to win the World Cup.

Waugh’s Test career was 19 years long, in which he scored over 10,000 runs at an astounding average of 51. Only Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting have had a career longer than his. Absolutely riveting!