Wisden Interview

'The last Indian tour was a life-changing experience'

Justin Langer is currently in the middle of his most consistent run in international cricket

Nagraj Gollapudi
07-Jul-2005
Justin Langer is currently in the middle of his most consistent run in international cricket. He spoke to Nagraj Gollapudi before Australia's tour of India, and looked ahead to the challenges that his team must overcome for that elusive series win there:


'My game has developed enormously over the last few years' © Getty Images
So, are you all ready to visit India once again?
Last time I was in India I had a great experience, and apart from one of the great Test series, from a personal point of view it was a great life-changing experience.
What impresses you about the country?
What doesn't impress me? The humility of the people, their hospitality, their passion for the game. Some things sadden me, particularly the poverty and the great contrast between the rich and the poor. But the fond memories make me come back to the place once again.
Cricket-wise, did that trip give you any lessons?
One was you should never celebrate or look too far ahead. In that second Test at Kolkata, we had Sachin [Tendulkar] out in the second innings as India followed on. We had already won 16 straight Tests and our confidence was sky-high. So we arrived on the fourth morning probably thinking the Test match was over and we were going to make it 17 wins, but as it turned out VVS [Laxman] and Rahul [Dravid] batted so well and we ended up losing. You can never take things for granted.
The conditions in India are completely different to those in any other part of the world. Have you got used to them?
They are different, but one of the benefits we have now in the Australian side is that we tend to play a lot of cricket in the subcontinent. The guys in the one-day side, in particular, have played a lot more in India and in Sri Lanka, where the wicket spins. Then, we have just come from an awesome series in Sri Lanka, possibly the best series I have played in, barring 1995 in the West Indies. We beat Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka with [Muttiah] Muralitharan bowling beautifully, which was an awesome achievement, and one from which we will gain lot of confidence.
If you are going to have anyone bat for your life at the moment, Dravid is the one
What do the Australians need to do to win a Test series in India?
As I said, the players are better used to the conditions in the subcontinent. So that will come in handy, as in the past our teams used to take a lot of time to adjust to the conditions. So, hopefully, we can adjust faster this time, which would help in our preparations for this series.
Do you think scoring 300-plus runs in a day could prove handy in Indian conditions?
We don't actually set out to score 300 or even 400 on the first day of a Test match. It's just that it has worked out with all our players being aggressive. We don't do it consciously, we just play to the conditions. If the opposition bowls well sometimes, we might not score at that rate, but if you look in the recent past the margin of error for the opposition bowlers is quite small, so they've got to be right on top of their game. So at this stage I wouldn't like to say whether we are going to score quickly or not.
Your personal form in India is not that impressive (161 runs in three Tests at 32). Where do you think you went wrong?
Last time I was in India I was batting at No. 3, and that series was the end of a very long road for me - I had played ten seasons straight, five each in England and Australia - and I was doing as much as I could to hang in there in India. My mental and physical energies were not up to the mark. My game has developed enormously over the last few years. I have improved a lot both physically and mentally and I look forward to taking that attitude forward.
How have you prepared yourself for the hot conditions?
I have had a long break and it's been cold out here in Perth. However, I am in peak form physically and am ready to combat the hot conditions in India, and the heat is not going to be a factor as I am accustomed to 40-degree heat having grown up in Australia.


Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden: an awesome combination at the top of the order for Australia © Getty Images
Despite your impressive record, there is this perception that you are always on trial ...
Yes, its true, but it's hard to break perceptions. Since me and Matthew Hayden have started opening, we have had some large partnerships - six double-century stands - and we are getting up there in terms of runs scored with some of the all-time great opening partnerships. There is always that perception but, look, I believe that I have worked hard all my life, I have got 19 Test hundreds, so hopefully my runs and statistics speak for themselves.
How far do you think the Indians have moved on since that memorable series in 2000-01?
That's why this Indian tour is going to be such a great series. We saw last time in Australia their batting being at its peak and young [Irfan] Pathan impressed everyone. They have got Harbhajan [Singh] and [Anil] Kumble who are at the top of their game. Then, in India, their batsmen peak with their powers of concentration and technique - Rahul Dravid, for example. If you are going to have anyone bat for your life at the moment, he is the one. When you have him along with Sachin, VVS and Sehwag, who belts the ball, they've got an awesome batting order. They have got good leadership in those guys. So it's going to be a great series as both teams are in top form at the moment.
Finally, what's your prediction about the outcome of the series?
I am not guessing. Whoever is more hungry will win it.

Nagraj Gollapudi is sub-editor of Wisden Asia Cricket