Waugh opens up on Kolkata follow-on call

Australian cricket legend Steve Waugh says he's never once regretted his infamous decision to enforce the follow on in the 2001 Kolkata Test against India.

And the former Test skipper says while his side lost that memorable series 16 years ago, it set a template for future Australian teams to follow when embarking on tours of India.

Test cricket's most successful captain, Waugh is also one of just three men in the game's history to have lost a match after enforcing the follow on.

India went on to triumph 2-1 in that 2001 series, regarded as one of the best of the modern era, and Waugh finished his decorated career without a series victory there.

But he says he has no regrets about his losing record in India, nor his decision to enforce the follow at Eden Gardens 16 years ago.

"People have said that, but I've never really worried about it or thought about it," Waugh told cricket.com.au in a recent one-on-one interview when he was asked if not winning a Test series in India is his biggest regret.

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"I'm a big believer that in sport there's got to be a winner and a loser, and if you do your best and try your hardest then move on.

"I could never come to grips with people crying over a loss in sport, and I still see it in junior sport and I say, 'Come on guys, it's just a game'.

Image Id: 6948B889C8E64A53BAD66797F52166EC Image Caption: Steve Waugh in action in the 2001 Kolkata Test // Getty

"I always remember that if you gave it your best shot, you might come out a winner.

"And that (2001) series in India, I don't regret. I think it was a great series for cricket, we really played well and we almost in some ways showed future teams that it was possible to win.

"If you went in with the right attitude and were positive, and you tweaked your tactics a bit you could win in India.

"So in a lot of ways we broke some ground on that tour. We didn't win, but I think I set in place a bit of a template for future teams to look at that maybe they could find useful.

"I would have liked to have won, but honestly I haven't spent one second regretting not beating them or enforcing the follow on.

Image Id: B4ECE72FD4D04F429273400F960308FE Image Caption: VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid at Kolkata // Getty

"That's the way we played at the time – we played positively. It didn't quite work out and it was a tough pill to swallow at the time, but I think we played a brand of cricket that people wanted to watch.

"The Test match in Kolkata, there was five days of 90,000 people watching so we had 450,000 people watching a Test. 

"We must have been doing something right for cricket."

Image Id: DBF7BD095C3C4203AC9AC21652563B1A Image Caption: Fans lit up Eden Gardens celebrating the 2001 Test win // Getty

The tale of that 2001 Kolkata Test has been re-told countless times in the years since; having bowled India out for just 171 in their first innings, Waugh opted to send the hosts back in to bat early on day three with the tourists holding a 274-run lead and a 1-0 advantage in the series.

 The decision appeared to be vindicated when India slumped to 3-115 and then 4-232 in their second innings, needing another 42 runs just to make Australia bat for a second time.

But VVS Laxman, who averaged just 27 with the bat before the match began, and Rahul Dravid produced an extraordinary partnership of 376, batting for the entirety of day four as India won the match and, ultimately, the series.

Image Id: DBC69B7C3AA04676A40F35FF462C006A Image Caption: Waugh salutes his day two century at Eden Gardesn // Getty

The Kolkata Test is one of only three instances in the game's history of a team winning after following on, with Waugh joining Jack Blackham (against England in 1894) and Kim Hughes (against England in 1981) as losing skippers in those matches.

While Australia have statistically not enforced the follow on as often since that 2001 Test, Waugh himself wasn't scarred by the experience; he sent the opposition in again seven times out of seven in subsequent Tests where the follow on was available to him, winning all seven.

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Despite winning just one of nine Tests in India, Waugh enjoyed a World Cup triumph there in 1987 and has a long and close relationship with the nation and its people.

And he's also witnessed the vast transformation of the country since his first tour there in 1986.

Image Id: EEC035D5D3124E029D2022C640FC884E Image Caption: Australia's captain on a charity mission in 2001 // Getty

Waugh says the proliferation of Australians touring India in the modern era, whether for internationals, the Indian Premier League, A series or under-age tournaments, means current side should be far more comfortable there than he was early in his career.

And looking at the current four-match series, Waugh believes opener David Warner will be crucial to Australia's chances of success.

"I think it's easier these days to win away from home," he said.

"You've got neutral umpires which rightly or wrongly, the perception is it does help and it probably does.

"You've got technology that takes the decision making away from the umpires and you know you're probably going to get the right decision and it gives you a bit more comfort when you go out to play.

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"They are desensitised a bit to India because they've been there a lot and they've played a lot of IPL.

"So they know the crowds, they know the conditions, they know the hotels and the food – it's not as if it's a big shock.

"When we first went to India in 1986 it was like we'd landed on another planet, we didn't know what we were doing. These days it's pretty familiar, that's a big bonus.

"I think Dave Warner is the one (key) right now.

"He's in incredible form and I think they'll open with spin bowling – (Ravichandran) Ashwin will definitely open the bowling (as he did in the first innings of the first Test in Pune).

"So that will provide something different for Dave Warner to counteract.

"He likes the ball coming on to start with, so he's going to have to get a bit of a game plan in his head in preparation that there will be spin from the very beginning.

"But he has the ability to take the game away from India.

"If he can play like he has in the last 12 months, then that sets the platform up for Australia to do well."

Teams

India squad (for first two Tests): Virat Kohli (c), Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravichandaran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Karun Nair, Jayant Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Abhinav Mukund, Hardik Pandya.

Australia XI: David Warner, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith (c), Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb, Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Wade (wk), Mitchell Starc, Stephen O'Keefe, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.

Australia's schedule in India

Feb 17-19, Tour match v India A, Mumbai

Feb 23-27, First Test: Australia won by 333 runs, Pune

Mar 4-8, Second Test, Bengaluru

Mar 16-20, Third Test, Ranchi

Mar 25-29, Fourth Test, Dharamsala