Mark Waugh's timely return to form

Mark Waugh has signaled his return to form in world cricket. The New South Wales batsman went through a lean patch at the beginning of this series, with scores of 0, 22 and 0 in the innings leading up to the third and final Test. In the first innings of the Chennai Test, Waugh made 70 and looked good for more. In the second innings, he struck seven boundaries on the way to a 57 that formed the crux of a vital partnership with brother Steve Waugh.

The day before the final Test began, Steve Waugh attended a press conference. When asked about the form of brother Mark he said "We know that Mark is a good player. He is going through a bit of a bad patch now but is sure to bounce back." Today, it was clear that Mark Waugh felt he had justified the faith the captain had in him. "It's always good to get runs when the team needs it," he began. "Even though I was going through a lean patch I was not under much pressure. I knew that the captain and the team backed me and that gave me confidence," said Mark Waugh.

Having the confidence of the captain is all very well. And yet there are many players who struggle despite enjoying the confidence of the captain. Ricky Ponting is a case in point. Despite being fully backed, Ponting has managed just 17 runs in five knocks. What helps Mark Waugh also is the manner in which he plays his cricket. Using soft hands Mark Waugh has been able to blunt the spinners for the best part. However, even he has come a cropper against Harbhajan Singh on more than one occasion. "Going by his current form, he's a very dangerous bowler. Playing in these conditions Harbhajan is by far the biggest threat for us," conceded Waugh, talking about the way the young Punjab offspinner had come up in this series.

The one chink in Mark Waugh's armour has been his penchant to turn the off spinner around the corner. An elegant timer of the ball, he has been exceptional at playing the ball off his toes and hips. On this tour however, this strength has proved to be his undoing on more than one occasion. He was caught at backward short leg on more than one occasion and the Indian team was beginning to think they had found a weakness. "I don't think it's a major issue. Just because there's a fielder placed there I can't stop playing strokes in that region. It's an area where I make a lot of runs and can't stop playing in that region," said Mark Waugh conclusively.

Mark Waugh has played his last innings in the Test series. In the onedayers he has a major role to play at the top of the innings. If Mark Waugh has returned to peak form, the Indians better watch out.