Cricket: Wright stands tall in Indians' triumph

As India rejoiced at winning one of test cricket's greatest series, a New Zealander stood at the eye of a nationwide swell of jubilation yesterday.

John Wright, former New Zealand captain and test opener - whose CV includes one of New Zealand's two test victories in India - was a crucial figure in India turning impending disaster into one of cricket's most memorable triumphs.

His appointment as India's first foreign coach last year was not universally accepted in a country where off-field political intrigue has long been intertwined with on-field endeavour.

Halfway through the second test in Calcutta, with the first match having ended on the third day in humiliating defeat and his team following on, Wright may have been eyeing his suitcase and checking the airline schedules.

Instead, he sat his team down and delivered a pep talk of such quality that it turned the series on its head.

India's manager, Chetan Chauhan, himself a former test opener, believed Wright's speech before the third morning's play was the decisive moment of the rubber.

That day, VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid embarked on their historic fifth-wicket stand of 376, lasting more than a day, and young bowler Harbhajan Singh went on to spin Australia to defeat on a gripping final afternoon.

Thursday night's heart-stopping win in Chennai won't have helped Wright's blood pressure, but his stock as international man of cricket has undoubtedly risen.

India's media went into overdrive as the nation rejoiced at the toppling of a team whose last test series defeat was in Sri Lanka in August 1999.

The Times of India in a story titled "Harbhajan gives Indian cricket brand new spin," said the victory by skipper Sourav Ganguly's squad was being celebrated across the cricket-crazy subcontinent.

"Take a bow John Wright, Sourav and the boys. We are proud of you," Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar wrote.

The English-language daily, the Pioneer, punning on the Australian captain's name, headed its eulogies "Waugh India Waugh," which phonetically translates into Hindi as "Bravo India Bravo."

The mass-circulation Hindustan Times said the win would restore confidence in the Indian team, who have been demoralised by match-fixing scandals and slovenly performances at home and abroad.

"The match was won. But perhaps more significantly, a lost faith was restored," the newspaper said.

The normally staid Hindu newspaper wrote that "generations to come will celebrate the two precious runs that came off Harbhajan's bat in a raucous cauldron of Chepauk ... as the home-team won an excruciatingly thrilling, breathtakingly close contest by two wickets."

Other national dailies, as well as private television channels, ran out of adjectives describing the new-look Indian team and also offered glowing tributes to the Australians, who have not won in India since Bill Lawry's team secured a 3-1 win in 1969.

Australia's commentators were united in their praise for Steve Waugh's team, despite the series loss.

Sydney Morning Herald cricket writer Peter Roebuck said the Australians had lost nothing and the defeat, while disappointing, was good for the game.

"No shame lay in this defeat. Australia played aggressive cricket and with luck might have taken the day," Roebuck wrote.

"Regardless of the defeat, this was just the fillip cricket needed after all the recent controversies."

The Daily Telegraph's Robert Craddock said India deserved their victory, but the Australians were entitled to share the glory for the way they played.

"Has there ever been a better test series?" Craddock asked.

"Defeat had never been more honourable for Australia as they made India scratch and scrap and bleed for runs.

"Any team that can come from one-down in a series and win 2-1 after following on in the second test deserves it ... but the bland scoreline will tell nothing of the tension and sheer pandemonium India had to wade through to achieve victory."

The Australian's Mike Coward said Australia's defeat would end the debate over whether Waugh's team was the greatest in history: they were not.

"But for mental strength, physical courage, self-belief, strength of character and resourcefulness it may well be the greatest of them all."