"That’s part of the drama, isn’t it. You did something you shouldn't have done. Then how do you come back?" asks Harsha Bhogle as he starts talking about the new Amazon series ‘The Test’ that traces Australia’s journey from the ball tampering saga to the day they retained the Ashes, in England last summer.
“I was absolutely certain that Steve Smith would (make his comeback) simply because he eats, sleeps, breathes, drinks cricket. He would have spent a year planning his comeback. I just did not know how long it would take him. I didn’t know what his mental state would be his confidence level would be. What it would be like to not be captain anymore but just turn up,” was his analysis of the Australian captain’s journey back after serving a year of suspension following the controversy in South Africa.
About Warner he added, “The one I was a little more curious about was David Warner because he’s a little more fiery he’s a little more temperamental. I did not know how he would come back. Some days he’s irreverent, some days he’s a terrier. So I did not know how he would come back. Of his ability, there was never any doubt and of the fact that he was missed, there was never any doubt. I was a little more certain about Smith because I thought he was a little more stronger temperamentally than Warner."
The series starts with the day Langer, a former Australian cricketer, is made the new coach of the team replacing Darren Lehmann who stepped down following the Newlands saga. It continues on to not just trace the team’s journey to redemption but also showcases the big role Langer played in it.
“Justin Langer is a very different kind of person. Langer’s role would have been to get Australia back to the way you knew they were. And it didn’t surprise me at all that he had Steve Waugh in the Australian change room travelling around the Australian side at the time because Steve Waugh stood for what Australian cricket stood for. Tough, hard. So Langer and Steve Waugh came from the same school and so I think their role – Steve Waugh’s role not documented as much as Langer’s – though those were 2 key roles,” says Harsha talking about the two men in the dressing room who he felt were instrumental in the team’s redemption.
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