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Set for a sweep

This is a fantastic time to be playing Test cricket for Australia. We're functioning superbly as a team, with new and established faces combining to build one of the most successful streaks in Australian cricket history. Over the first two days of this Test, we have played some magnificent cricket, with Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and Justin Langer leading the way. Now, we find ourselves in an excellent position to extend our winning run to seven Test matches and complete a sweep of a summer of Test cricket, achievements that would be a fitting tribute to our current confidence and team spirit.

The challenge now is to maintain our intensity for the remainder of this Test, because, though we find ourselves in a strong position, complacency must never become a factor. The Indian batting card remains one rich in talent, and I will never forget lessons learnt back at the start of my international career, when the Australian team was a long way from the top of the cricket tree. I remember, for example, my first Test at the SCG, against India in 1985-86, when we spent the final day trying to avoid what would have been an embarrassing loss, after being forced to follow on. Admittedly, those days seem long ago, but they stay in the back of my mind. I want to enjoy all of the good times, so there is no way we'll be relaxing early.

Certainly, the Indians have seemed slightly dispirited at times during this match. Touring is always hard when you start losing and things stop going your way. With the exception of Sachin Tendulkar and to a lesser extent Sourav Ganguly, their batsmen haven't scored many runs, and because we bowled so well at them, they've stayed under pressure. This was the case throughout the entire first day. Then Lang was relentless when he got his chance, riding his luck early and grinding the bowlers down throughout the second afternoon.

But magnificent as our No. 3 was, in my view we set up this Test in the first session of the first day. I'm sure India would have wanted to be as aggressive and positive as possible after they won the toss and opted to bat, but instead our pace attack had them defending grimly. This sent a message to their batting line-up, watching from the dressing room: it was going to be tough work out there. And so it proved. Then, having built this psychological advantage, it was important today that we stayed aggressive. With Lang and Mark Waugh leading the way, we achieved that objective.

I'm proud that to date we've done our new Australian caps, specially created for this Test, justice. We've all enjoyed wearing them, as they gave us a feeling of great pride - that we were walking proudly along the same path that legends such as Trumper, Darling, Hill and Noble strode so famously down a century ago. Occasionally, I stopped and pondered what it would have been like back then, playing for Australia in front of a full house at the Sydney Cricket Ground. We should all be thankful cricket has such a rich and wonderful history.

The SCG crowd for this match has been fantastic. I was amazed when someone mentioned that the 42,000-plus who attended on day one was only 4000 less than the total attendance when Australia last played India in a Test match here, back in early 1992. When Brett Lee charged in to attempt a hat-trick, the noise was as loud as I have ever heard on an Australian cricket ground. It's not easy for the 'away' team to bat against that sort of din, but it was great for us to have that level of excitement all around us.

Perhaps we will experience a noise explosion similar to that hat-trick ball again before this Test is out, as Shane Warne makes his assault on Dennis Lillee's Australian wicket-taking record in India's second innings. The wicket is beginning to turn a bit, and while there remains something there for the quicks, I reckon Shane might still have a big part to play before this series ends. I know Shane would love to achieve the record in Sydney, in front of an Australian crowd, and I think he deserves to get it here.

I know I am getting ahead of myself, for there is still much work to be done, but what a finish it would be if he could break the record and take the final wicket of the series, all with the one delivery.

Gameplan

Steve Waugh