Brett Lee's wicket, caught behind, gave Irfan Pathan his 100th wicket in his 28th Test, just reward for an excellent bowling display on a flat track in the final Test at the Adelaide Oval.

“I am pretty happy with the way things have gone in the last four years,” Pathan told newsmen on Sunday evening. “I started my international career here in 2003 and got my first wicket too here in Adelaide, so it is special to get my 100th Test wicket also at the same venue. I am thrilled about it.”

In the process, Pathan also became only the seventh Indian to have taken 100 Test wickets to go with his 1000 runs in the traditional format of the game.

Personally, Pathan pointed out, this was a crucial series for him. “In the last six months, I made my comeback first to the Twenty20 squad and then the one-day team. I did well, but I was desperate to play Test cricket," said Pathan, who made his Test comeback in Bangalore in December, after some 18 months out. “I am happy with the way I have been bowling since coming back, I am confident of doing well.”

Pathan was all praise for Ishant Sharma, his pace-bowling comrade. “He has been wonderful. He is only 19, and when I see him, I think of myself four years back,” observed Pathan, himself a ripe 23! “We are different bowlers, he is taller and quicker. But I started my career here in Australia, and he too was new coming in to this tour. He’s growing as a bowler, he has learnt a lot from this tour. We have found a really really really good fast bowler, not just for us but for world cricket.”

Looking ahead to the final day, Pathan noted, “Anything can happen on the last day. If we bat well and put runs on the board, Australia will have to bat last. Anything is possible then. So many matches have changed on the final day. By tomorrow late afternoon, the pitch will take a bit more turn, and we have two world-class spinners.

If we put runs on the board, we might have the upper hand.”

The Indians gathered twice — once when he walked in, and 20 minutes later when he walked out — to clap Adam Gilchrist.

“It was spontaneous and came naturally,” Pathan said. “He has been a wonderful cricketer, and we have respected him throughout his career. We clapped for him to show our respect. He has changed Test cricket, in a way.

“To bat at number seven, average nearly 50 and score that quickly is not easy, especially for a wicket-keeper.”