By IANS
Melbourne : Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson’s place in the first Test was in doubt, but his impressive performance against India in Melbourne makes him sure starter for the second Test, starting in Sydney Wednesday.
“I have to just keep doing what I am doing now, that is keep performing by getting wickets. You have (Shaun) Tait there and other guys in Australian cricket, who are doing really well and anyone, can come up and grab the spot. So I have to focus on what I am doing and not think about other guys too much,” Johnson told reporters here Sunday.
Johnson did exceedingly well in his first two Tests against Sri Lanka last month, but the re-emergence of Tait put a question mark over selection for the Melbourne match. But his splendid showing against India in the one-day internationals in both in Malaysia last year and in the recent series in India got him the vote over the express fast Tait.
“It gives me a bit of confidence in the Test series. In the last tour to India I really enjoyed myself and hopefully the Indian batsmen are always thinking about me. I think this will help me to get a few more wickets in this series,” he said.
Johnson, with 19 ODI wickets at an average of 16, was the leading wicket-taker for either side in the ODI series in India, but was left out of the ODIs against New Zealand as Australia wanted to try out give Tait as he had come out of a shoulder surgery. Tait was an instant success and that meant Johnson’s place was not certain.
“I guess there was a bit of concern for me. It was a bit of surprise when I was dropped from the one-day team. But I was still a part of the series and it was good to be around. And Tait really deserved his place and he bowled really well. I was a bit disappointed at that time and was concerned. But I kept my focus on to get things right before the Test to make things sure that I was ready,” he said.
The 26-year-old left-arm fast bowler from Queensland proved the selectors right with his miserly performance in the first Test. In the first innings he gave away just 25 runs from 13 overs and in the second he picked up three wickets for 21 run from 15 overs.
“I really enjoyed it. It has been great sharing the new ball with Brett Lee and getting the new ball on Boxing Day was really a proud moment for me. I have just backed my ability and not thought too many things outside cricket like selection,” he said.
Johnson also said that during the Test match he found his rhythm back.
“I had my rhythm and was hitting the areas I wanted to consistently. It was also great to have the backup off Brett Lee and Stuart Clark and it made things lot easier for me.
“It was relief getting those wickets in the second innings. In the first innings I didn’t have any luck so it was good to have those wickets in the end. We all worked really well together and were patient, sticking to a plan and everyone backed each other on the field,” he said.
The fast bowler was, however, hopeful that the Indians after suffering a 337-run loss in the first Test will come back strongly in the Sydney match.
“They are a great batting side with Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and some young guys around them. They are definitely going to bounce back in the next match but we have to keep our patience and keep the pressure on,” Johnson said.
On the forthcoming Pakistan tour, he said: “We have to trust what Cricket Australia. Security people are going over to Pakistan to see what the situation is like there. The trip is long way off and no decision is being made at the moment.”