It was not sledging, says Steve Waugh on his banter with Parthiv Patel in 2004

India and Australia have always shared some heated moments during the action in the middle, especially the Test series. While many remember the way Virat Kohli had pummeled Mitchell Johnson four years ago, very few would’ve forgotten the amazing incident between Parthiv Patel and Steve Waugh way back in 2004. Ahead of the four-match Test series between the two countries, the latter has recalled his playing days and also terming that conversation as the banter.

It was the fourth Test of the series which was also the last game of Steve Waugh’s illustrious career. India had set the improbable target of 443 runs in front of Australia in 90 overs as the skipper came out to bat in his last knock at 170/3. There was immense pressure on the home side as their proud record at home was at stake and the 18-year-old Parthiv decided to turn the heat on the Aussie captain.

He challenged Waugh to hit the slog-sweep against the spinners on the fifth day pitch in Sydney and also predicted that he will miss it. However, Waugh came up with a stunning response to the wicket-keeper which left the close-in Indian fielders in splits.

“Let’s see if you can play one of those famous slog-sweeps, and miss one,” Parthiv had said to which Waugh replied, “Show a bit of respect, You were in nappies when I played my first Test match,” Waugh countered to the amusement of the India fielders hovering at pitch edge.”

It is not sledging

With Australia’s behaviour on the field under the scanner ever since the ball-tampering scandal, the media is time and again recalling the previous instances. When Steve Waugh was asked about him being sledged by Parthiv, he believed that it was a banter and not sledging by any means.

“It’s not sledging. People say there’s too much sledging in the game, I think you can do it in a different way and have a bit of a laugh and a bit of fun. While people say that was a sledge, to me that was banter,” he said in an interview to Cricket Australia.

[interaction id=”5bf8d2afad2c170008e2f852″]

Get the latest Cricket News and updates, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.