‘The one that got Kohli turned off a pebble’

MUMBAI, November 16, 2012





Graeme Swann, who surpassed Jim Laker's tally of 193 wickets, said he was lucky to get the wicket of Virat Kohli.



"I was fortunate that the ball was changed after the quarter-seam exploded on the soft ball. The replacement was a touch harder. This one just hit a pebble and turned square. It's always my favourite way to get a batsman out; bowled through the gate, especially a player as good as Kohli," said Swann.



"It is a proud moment. I always say I'm not a stats man, but when people told me I was near Jim Laker I was genuinely excited. When you're growing up these are the famous names of the game…you don't even dream of emulating them, let alone going past them."



Asked about the catch claimed by Jonathan Trott in the slips off Kohli, he said: "It's a very difficult position to field, especially to a spin bowler. You're very close to the bat and don't get any reaction time. Sometimes they just don't stick. It's a very difficult place to field, but he's (Trott) is the man for the job."



The umpires consulted the third umpire and rejected the appeal. Swann said Sehwag had taken the game away from England in the first couple of hours and that it was very important to pull it back.



About getting Sachin Tendulkar, he said: "The noise that erupted in the ground when he walked out to bat — before he even comes out to the middle — you know who it is. It's always nice to get him out, and get him out early. Let's face it, he's the greatest player still playing the game."



Commenting on the pitch he said: "If you look at the footage you will find that very few balls have turned. Towards the end there was a bit of turn, but I don't think that necessarily makes a bad Test wicket.



"It's very flat for the seamers. You could argue that it's a good Test pitch. I will say that because I've got four wickets."
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