Only Younis Khan and Hashim Amla have played longer innings, Khan batted for 690 minutes and scored 267 in 2005 in Banglore. Amla was at his best when he batted for 675 minutes and scored 253 runs.
He came in this test match with two 50 plus that he couldn’t convert into big innings. So, the big innings was brewing and it was only matter of time and finding a suitable pitch to bat on. Khawaja’s 180 is now third highest score by an Australian batter in India, surpassing previous third best by Steve Smith who scored 178 runs in Ranchi.
Dean Jones, the Australian great, scored 210 in Chennai in 1986, and Matthew Hayden went big in Chennai, scoring 203 runs in a test match that India won by 2 wickets. Even though Usman Khawaja looked most prolific in this test series for Australia, in previous three Australian tours to India, he wasn’t included in the team.
A few years ago, Khawaja was labelled as amateur in terms of playing in spinning conditions, now, his innings has definitely silenced a number of critics and previous selectors who sidelined him. Upon scoring the marathon century, Khawaja said, “There was a lot of emotion in that. I’ve been to India two tours before this, and I carried the drinks for all eight Test matches. It was a long journey.”
“To finally get a hundred in India, as an Australian, that’s what you want to do, it’s what you want to tick off, so it’s very special. I’ve been to India two tours before this, and I carried the drinks for all eight Test matches. It was a long journey.
“To finally get a hundred in India, as an Australian, that’s what you want to do, it’s what you want to tick off, so it’s very special.”
Khawaja was told that he can’t play spin in these conditions by his former coaches, he was sidelined during 2013 tour when Micky Arthur was coach and Australia lost the test series 4-0.
“I’ve been told my whole life I’ll never score a hundred in the subcontinent,” he said after scoring a remarkable century in India.
“It was a self-fulfilling prophecy in its own way, because people started saying that, and perception is reality. Any time I got out to spin, people would say, ‘You can’t play spin,’ and then I probably started believing it myself.”