‘Under pressure’ North satisfied with his timely century

SYDNEY - Australia’s No.6 batsman Marcus North, who after his recent form slump was walking on the razor’s edge, seems to have cemented his place in the sqaud for time being and is satisfied with his career best 128 runs against India in the Bangalore Test.

Scores of 0, 20, 16, 0, 0 and 10 in the last six innings had a great impact on his performance as the beleaguered batsman was just a step away from being chucked out of the eleven.

“I have had a few disappointing Tests but I was fortunate to bat on a good batting surface. It was a satisfying hundred because I was under pressure and also it was the last Test before the Ashes,” he said.

“I knew I was under pressure going into this game, not just outside influences but also the standards I set myself. I worked on my on-drive and that really set up the innings for me. It was nice to get a score and contribute,” North said on Sunday.

The Western Australian batsman said his earlier tours to India, helped him cope with the conditions.

“I have been to the MRF academy and have been to Bangalore. Have made a few hundreds for Western Australia but Test match is a different scenario. In the whole innings I was judging and hitting the ball well. India is a great place to bat but can be a little difficult at times,” North said.

North was satisfied with his significant contribution, but his century was overshadowed by Sachin Tendulkar, who reached a historic milestone with the bat for India.

“Sachin’s a pretty amazing player isn’t he? And to be on the same ground when he brought up his 14,000th Test run was pretty special,” North said.

“Talking about the pressures of Test cricket, this guy’s got the pressure of a nation upon him,” he added. (ANI)