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Hashim Amla with his trophies, at the Eden, on Thursday. A Telegraph picture |
Calcutta: Harbhajan Singh thanked Anil Kumble on Thursday for his advice. The off-spinner also told the post-match press conference that the Eden has always been special for him.
The following are excerpts
His performance in this Test
I really enjoyed the way I bowled here. The Eden has always been special for me and I’ve done really well whenever I’ve played here. I am keeping my fingers crossed and hoping it will continue to be the same in future, too.
On the Eden being special
Every player has his own special ground. Anilbhai always enjoyed bowling in Delhi and I always enjoy bowling at Eden Gardens.
If he was tensed in that over against Morne Morkel
I have been very relaxed throughout this game. I knew that if I bowl in the right areas, I will create enough opportunities
On what Anil Kumble told him before this Test
Kumble will probably always be the one who will call me and tell me that there is nothing wrong with you… It is just that you guys have been creating sensational stories by calling up Kumble to ask what is wrong with me! He just told me to bowl the way I’ve been bowling... To remember that 300-plus wickets can’t be achieved through fluke…. I would like to thank him for the advice and even for the field placements for particular batsmen (like Jacques Kallis)… Thank you Anilbhai for helping me out.
If Kumble’s absence has meant extra pressure
I just don’t look at it that way… I just bowl the way I can bowl and try to bowl in tandem with Mishra or Zaheer.
If he was feeling the pressure Thursday
I was in a lot of pain today. My shin was hurting but I tried to bowl the way I can and am very happy. I am taking two ODIs off because of my sister’s marriage and should be fine for the third one.
If Amit Mishra has been able to fill Kumble’s void
Those are big shoes to fill... Anilbhai was fantastic from the other end and Mishra is still very new and young in international cricket.
Hashim Amla’s batting
Obviously, Amla batted very well. Most of the teams, when they come here don’t know much about spin… But he was very calm throughout and that was probably the key..
The wicket
It was a good wicket. There was not much for the spinners. I have played a lot of games at the Eden. Normally, on the fourth and fifth day, it does a lot more than this, but this was a firm wicket.
If Zaheer was missed in the second innings
Definitely… I think all three bowlers and Sehwag, the fourth bowler, have shared the pressure. We knew we were one guy short and we had to do it with whatever resources we had. I am glad we have come out as champions.
South Africa’s performance
To be honest, South Africa are really a good side and they played fantastic cricket in Nagpur. I wish we had won the toss in Nagpur. Things would have been different then. We played better cricket here, bowled to the field and created pressure. We batted well. Laxman was special, Dhoni was brilliant, Sachin was amazing and so was Viru. Overall we played terrific cricket and we are very happy.
The lessons learnt from the win
We have learnt that if we fight till the end, we’ll do special things. There was a lot of talk about us… that being No.1 was a fluke... We have worked really hard to reach the top, and today we have showed the world that we deserve to be No.1.