Every wicket I have got is a bonus: Miller

By Our Special Correspondent

NAGPUR, FEB. 17. Australian off-spinner Colin Miller hopes to play his part in the forthcoming Test series against India. ``As a team we are playing competent cricket now. The biggest challenge for us is to adjust to the hard and bouncy wickets in Australia to the slow and turning wickets here. We have not won a Test series in India for over 30 years. A lot of people in Australia don't believe that we are the best team in the world. So we have to win in India to prove that we are the best.''

Miller has turned out to be the surprise packet in Australian cricket in recent times. ``That's probably because of the fact that I am the oldest player in the team. I am 37 now. I have been playing first class cricket for 15 years and 12 of these as a fast bowler. Three years ago I started bowling off-spin. It was after six months of bowling for Tasmania that I got a chance to play for Australia. And now, after 17 games for Australia, I have got 63 wickets and also had a good hand in couple of results for the team.

``Probably, I wasted 10 years of my life. But I still enjoy bowling mediumpace. I was never fast, but more of a swing bowler. Bowling off-spin was something I always did when I played league cricket in England and club cricket in Australia. David Boon was my captain in Tasmania. It took six months for me to convince him and when he let me bowl off-spin for Tasmania, I was successful straightaway. I got 67 wickets and that started my career for Australia.

``I just wanted to play cricket at the highest level as long as I could. I wanted to achieve something and playing for Australia was one of the goals. I saw an opportunity bowling off- spin. There wasn't really another off-spinner playing on a regular basis. Tim May was being tried, Greg Matthews was not getting any game and Gavin Robertson was in and out of the team. I persevered and rewards finally came my way. And once I got there I have done pretty well.''

But Miller said his priority now was to get wickets in India. ``I see it as a huge challenge. I have done very well in other parts of the world. I think if I can do well in India where the batsmen are recognised as the best players of spin, then I will know in my mind that I am doing well. I have bowled to Indian batsmen when they played Tasmania last year. Because I am a different type of spin bowler than the normal off-spinner, I think it's going to be a challenge between the Indian batsmen and me. I bowl faster and turn the ball a lot further.''

In the recent series against the West Indies, Miller was successful against the left-handers. ``I bowled very well to them. Brian Lara was trying to attack Stuart MacGill (at Adelaide) than me. The pitches were helping me in Australia with bounce and turn. I thought I bowled very well to all the West Indian left-handers. I think I got Brian six times in different games in the summer. So I was pretty happy with that as well.''

And Miller isn't a player who likes to set targets. ``You can put pressure on yourself by setting targets. My first goal is, obviously to bowl well. But in the long term, 100 wickets should satisfy me. But to reach there I have to do well here in India and in the Ashes series in England. I hope to get my 100th wicket in England. Three years ago, I had not imagined I would get even one Test wicket. So, everything I have got is a bonus.''

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