Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly opined that the former Aussie captain Steve Waugh and the team used to get frustrated when he got late during the toss which worked on India’s favour during the remarkable 2001 Test series triumph.
Australia was called as the invincible team when they played the 2001 Test series against India. They had a winning streak of 16 consecutive Test matches before facing defeat against Sourav Ganguly-led side at home. The series started in favour of visitors as they gained 0-1 lead but things changed after Kolkata series.
India registered victory at Eden Gardens with the help of VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid’s 376 run stand after the visitors forced the follow on. The host declared at a mammoth 657 for 7 and handed Australia a target of 384. Eventually, Waugh and Co fell short of 171 runs and India squared the series at 1-1.
The series decider was played in Chennai where India registered the victory by 2 wickets and won the series by 2-1. It is the memorable series victory under the leadership of Sourav Ganguly.
However, apart from upsetting the Aussies with the series win, there was another reason that left Waugh displeased with Ganguly. In the recent conversation with Mayank Agarwal on the latest episode of ‘Open Nets with Mayank’, Ganguly explained that Waugh was a bit grumpy with his habit of getting late during the toss. However, Ganguly maintained that getting late was an accident as he had left his blazer in the dressing room during the first Test match.
Sourav Ganguly explains his side of the story:
‘It was an accident actually. In the first Test match, I left my blazer in the dressing room. They were such a good side and I was really nervous in that series because it was my first big series as captain. Last 25-30 years I haven’t seen a team as good as Australia I that generation,” Ganguly said.
“Initially, I forgot my blazer in the first test but then I realized that he reacted to it. It was working on them, working on the team, and how they went about their jobs. They were a bit grumpy with all that and it worked for us as we won the series 2-1,” Ganguly further told Mayank.
“Having said that, Steve Waugh is a friend and I have tremendous respect for him as a cricketer. It was all in good humour.”
Waugh has stated several times that he was annoyed by Ganguly in the 2001 series as he used to come late for the toss.