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Steve Waugh Column

We are backing Warne to do well on this track
Steve Waugh - 17 March 2001

MA Chidambaram Stadium
©CricInfo
The weather at Chennai over the last two days has been a pleasant surprise. While it is a bit humid, it's pretty cool and the temperatures are nowhere near as high as they were during my earlier visits. However, I do feel that it will get hotter during the Test, and it would be a nice surprise if it remains this cool for the rest of the week.

Shane Warne
©AFP
There are no surprises as far as the pitch is concerned, though. It is hard, dry and has no grass, which is not unexpected. I had a look at it this morning and I think it will be a good pitch to bat on for at least the first two days. I have never thought of tosses as important and am not about to change my mind on that. I think it is better to think about areas which are in your control rather than worry about those which are governed by luck. Keeping the conditions in mind, we will be going in with both Shane Warne and Colin Miller. There have been reports about how Shane is mentally and physically fatigued after the Calcutta Test. I think that all the bowlers were pretty tired after the Calcutta Test since they had to bowl three days on the trot in very humid, sapping conditions. Which is why the entire team took a day off yesterday and were fresh and fighting fit on the eve of the Test starting Sunday.

Steve Waugh & Colin Miller
©AFP
As far as my team and I are concerned we are backing Shane to do well on this track. He will be getting plenty of assistance and it will be good for him to be bowling in tandem with Miller. Indians have not seen much of Miller in the past and he is sure to be a bit of an unknown quantity for them. In fact, it will be Miller's performance that will have a big bearing on the Test.

Damien Martyn
©CricInfo

There will be no changes in the batting order. I have full faith in the batsmen and don't see the point in changing the combination. While Damien Martyn is a fine player, he has not had much cricket in the last two weeks. It would be a tough ask to expect him to come into the team and score in the last Test. I'm sure it's more sensible to rely on batsmen who have had a feel of things in the middle at Mumbai and Calcutta. Besides all of them are proven performers who are eager to come good in this crucial match.

Australian Team
©AFP
We have had a couple of meetings about our defeat at the Eden Gardens and our strategy for this Test. However, I believe that if you have self-belief, a gameplan and confidence in your abilities, there is nothing to worry about. This is our first loss in the last 19 Tests, which means that we have a great team. Just two down days are not enough to prompt us to change the balance of our side.

Steve Waugh
©AFP
This is surely one of the toughest challenges of my stint as captain. We are going into the last Test of the series which is in the balance at 1-1, we have lost a gruelling encounter and this is the second of back-to-back Tests. However, I am confident that my team is up to the task and actually enjoys such challenges. We want this victory badly and each one of us is willing to make sure that we achieve it in this most crucial of Tests.



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© Gameplan
Teams Australia, India.
Players/Umpires Steve Waugh, Shane Warne, Colin Miller, Damien Martyn.
Tours Australia in India
Grounds MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai

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