Described by former Australian leggie Stuart MacGill as not a Test-standard spinner, Xavier Doherty did his best to prove his critics wrong on Monday.
The left-arm spinner finished with 3-131 from 46.1 overs in India’s first innings of 503 in the second Test in Hyderabad.
Doherty’s three-wicket haul boosted his confidence and lifted his career tally to six at 72.83 in two-and-a-half matches.
Before his recall for the second Test against India, the 30-year-old had claimed 3-306 at an average of 102 in two Ashes Tests in 2010-11.
The numbers are huge, and not in a good way.
“Things just didn’t seem to be going my way,” the Tasmanian tweaker said on Monday night after not making a breakthrough until his 43rd over.
“I was trying to work out my Test bowling average there at one stage because I came into the game at a hundred (102).
“In the last five or six overs, it was just more pleasing how the ball started to come out. It did take a while for it to take a bit of rhythm.
“To get a couple of wickets was nice as well.”
Doherty has replaced dumped offspinner Nathan Lyon for the second Test. Doherty is expecting Lyon – the man given the role of singing the team song for Test victories – to be back in the side very soon after being sent back to the nets to work on some technical issues.
“I’ve got no doubt that he’ll play again. Whether it’s the next Test or whether it’s the Ashes or whatever it will be, he will be back,” Doherty said.
Doherty said he had no idea about MacGill’s description of him as a good short-form bowler but not up to Test standard.
“The good thing about being here is you avoid all that,” Doherty said.
“I am well aware there are people that want me in the team and people that don’t want me in the team but that is the nature of being at this level.”
The third Test of the four-match series against India starts in Mohali on March 14.