Hard work paying off: Siddle
First Published : 26 Jan 2012, 22:39
Last Modified : 26 Jan 2012, 22:39
Adelaide, Jan 26: With 22 wickets in the series so far, Peter Siddle has been Australia’s go-to guy when in need of a breakthrough. The 27-year-old added yet another five-wicket haul to his name to help the home side dismiss the Indians for 272 on Day 3 at Adelaide. Siddle revealed that hard work and bowling partnerships were bearing fruit, during the end of day press conference.
Excerpts:
On his good form
It’s just the hard work I’ve put in the last six or seven months; this summer it has all come together. It’s the work I’ve put in personally on the fitness side of things, strength and that type of thing. It’s paying off. I’m just not getting too overawed with what I had done earlier in the summer and am [planning to] just keep working hard.
On the target Australia plan to set for the Indians
It’s hard to say, at the moment you don’t know. We’ve got to see how the wicket plays tomorrow morning and see where it goes from there. There were a couple of balls up and down; Hilfy [Hilfenhaus] got one to sort of roll through and Zaheer [Khan] got one to Davie [Warner] to sort of pop up a little bit. Hopefully that deteriorates a bit more in the next 30-40 overs tomorrow morning, if we can bat that time. It always gets hard here; the fourth and the fifth day it is tough to bat on. And with [R] Ashwin there, there’s a bit of turn as well. I think Nathan Lyon is definitely going to come into the game massively in the second innings. Hopefully we can support him well and get the job done.
On the altercation with Virat Kohli
I don’t think there was too much banter; the bloke had batted well to get to 99 and looked to nearly run himself out ridiculously. That’s what we tried to tell him. You don’t want to do that to yourself when you are on 99 and you throw your wicket away. It was just a matter of settling him down and making sure he got over the line.
On the secret behind Australia’s bowling success
It’s just the patience and the partnerships we’ve built up. Ben [Hilfenhaus] and Ryno [Ryan Harris] this morning – they bowled superbly. They bowled back-to-back maidens and just built the pressure up. I think I’ve been pretty lucky this summer that I’ve been on the back end of a lot of that. At the change [of bowling] I get the wicket because the change has brought the change in the batsman. So that’s what we’ve been working on; the bowling has been superb this summer with that sort of work ethic. All the boys are getting their rewards.
On getting Sachin Tendulkar out
I am happy that he [Sachin Tendulkar] doesn’t get [the 100th ton]. Obviously, he’s a great player, same as their top order. We just want to build the pressure on them and get the results; at the moment it’s working for us. I am happy for him to make as many centuries after this series, as long as we can restrict him now. That’s the plan.
On Virat Kohli’s potential
He has shone in the last three innings. He’s got a few runs and he has looked good out there. He has shown in one-day cricket that he can make centuries and that he can win games for his team. So yeah, he’s a really good player and he is one player that’s going to be a bright spark for the Indians in the future.
On his performance on Australia Day
That’s what I play the game for. Just to be able to go out there with the national anthem [playing] and with the Baggy Green [on] – that’s something we all dream of. And there was a brilliant crowd in for Australia Day and it’s a big part [of the experience]. The big crowd on the hill singing and chanting; it was a great day. All the boys enjoyed it, to get the result so far that we have. It is a pleasing day for us.
