Singh noted that India are looking for revenge after being whitewashed by Australia last year
Having decimated Australia in the First Test in Chennai by eight wickets, India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh is confident the national team can go on to whitewash the Australians 4-0 after the tourists did the very same thing in front of their own fans at the beginning of 2012.
Singh noted that the current Australian team were going through a transition phase just like India after having lost two of their most decorated veterans in Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey.
“This is a young Australian team,” he said. “They are even getting beaten on their home grounds consistently. We should defeat them easily and 4-0 whitewash is a real possibility.”
Singh, who took three wickets in the match, stated that it felt good to be back in the national side after being sidelined for more than a year and attributed his excellent performance with the ball to his time spent bowling in the county league in England and the Ranji Trophy as well.
“I have bowled a number of overs in the Ranji series and am feeling good about my rhythm,” he said. “I am trying to utilise whatever opportunities of match practice that I am able to get.”
Comparing the current Australian squad to that of the previous ones, Singh noted that the present side lacked a match winner and added that it was proven during the first Test, despite some heavy resistance from captain Michael Clarke.
“They had 11 champion players,” he said when reminiscing back to the old days. “Right from Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden to Adam Gilchrist, Shane Warne, McGrath, they were unbeatable as a unit.”
Singh also feels that Australia will miss not having Ponting in the side since he had a lot of experience playing against India and was accustomed to the conditions of the sub-continent.
“Ponting was a class act,” Singh added. “It will be difficult for Australians to replace him.”
Responding to Clarke’s comments about India not being as dominant at home as they used to be after suffering a shocking 2-1 defeat at the hands of England late last year, Singh pointed out that all teams go through tough series, just like Australia did against South Africa.
“We should not always blame the pitch for our bad performance,” he said. “The England team played better cricket overall, they played our spinners better, their spinners bowled better than us.”
However, continuing to talk about the pitches in India, Singh stated that they were becoming more of a pace bowler’s paradise and still did not offer much assistance to spinners, despite the fact that the country is globally known for its spin-friendly pitches.
“Seamers on first day tracks got wickets but as the matches progressed, even on day three and four, due to green-tops, the ball wasn’t gripping onto the surface,” he said. “Such pitches do not give the spinners any advantage and even on the last day, they struggled to get wickets. In the end, it became easier for batsmen only.”
Singh also recently stepped down as captain of the Mumbai Indians and admitted that the leadership position had taken a hefty toll on him, which was why he decided to hand the reigns over to Ponting, who was signed by Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise during the auction on February 3.
“Being a captain is an added responsibility and it took a lot out of me,” he said. “At present, I just wanted to focus on my game, and hence I decided to give someone else a chance. I wish all the luck to the next skipper.”