Usman Khawaja did not hold back after scoring his maiden Test century in India in the ongoing fourth Test at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The southpaw, who has arguably been the best batsman in the series so far, scored Australia’s first century of the series.
Not very long ago, the Australia opener’s ability to plan spin in tough conditions was widely questioned. In fact, he was called a home track bully after making a poor start to his Test career in Asian conditions. But he has turned around his career remarkably and the latest century just another proof of that.
And after scoring the stunning ton, Usman Khawaja used the opportunity to take a dig at the former Australian coaching staff and his teammates for the lack of support. The opening batsman recalled how he did not get any support on his previous tours of India.
The ongoing series is his third tour of India. He first toured India in 2013 before visiting the subcontinent again in 2017. And on both the occasions, he did not get to play a single game.
Usman Khawaja rues lack of support:
Talking to the media after his sublime knock on day one, Usman Khawaja pointed out how his spin playing ability was questioned.
“I’ve been told my whole life I’ll never score a hundred in the subcontinent,” he said after his brilliant century.
“It was a self-fulfilling prophecy in its own way, because people started saying that, and perception is reality. Any time I got out to spin, people would say, ‘You can’t play spin,’ and then I probably started believing it myself,” he added.
Speaking further, Usman Khawaja stated that in the middle years of his career, he felt a lack of support from his teammates and coaches.
“I didn’t get support from the people around me at the time. Didn’t really feel like the team really supported me, didn’t feel like the coaching staff and selectors supported me through that journey. It just made it so hard.
“I’m a better player of spin now, I have no doubt in my mind,” said Usman Khawaja.