JOIN USVery pleasing: Broad
Like Praveen Kumar, who bagged five wickets, Broad too wasn’t a certainty to play the first match and not unlike the Indian paceman, the 25-year-old Englishman justified the faith reposed in him with a superlative effort.
“It was very pleasing,” Broad noted at the end the third day’s play at Lord’s. “Picking up four wickets, I am obviously delighted but more importantly, we got 10 Indian wickets as a team. We put ourselves in a strong position and I think the wicket is playing pretty well. We got some good swing today but if you get in, it's going to hard to remove you as KP (Pietersen) and Dravid have shown.”
Bowling a fuller length, Broad felt, was the key to his success. “I think it was quite obvious I bowled a fuller length today,” he pointed out. “I thought about getting a cover in, still keeping three slips and getting rid of the gully which allowed me to bowl that fuller length without the thought of getting hit for four. I think that worked, getting the batsmen driving and that length can still hit the stumps on a pretty slow Lord's wicket. I'll obviously look to do that in the future as well.”
Under scrutiny for a prolonged lean patch, Broad can put his feet up and relax for a while after Saturday’s effort. “As an international cricketer, you are always under pressure. There are always guys who want your spot, and that's a healthy thing. What helped me this week was going back to play for Nottinghamshire last week, gaining the confidence of a five-wicket haul (five for 95 against Somerset), bowling at Trent Bridge which always encourages you to pitch the ball up and swing it. I felt in really good rhythm last week and brought that in today,” he offered.
Explaining his role within the side, Broad said: “As a player you get asked to do different roles within the side. Within the changing room, everyone has always known I'm best when I pitch the ball up and get a little bit of movement. But when that moment comes when a bowler is needed to rough a batsman up or get two men out on the hook and try to unsettle someone, then the ball gets thrown to me because my bouncer is pretty good and it's got a decent yard (of pace) in it,” he explained.