It might be a peaceful opening day of the third Test between India and Australia, but former Australian skipper Steve Waugh feels the ghost of the acrimonious Sydney Test was still in the minds of the hosts as their appealing was not that convincing.

Waugh cited the incident when Adam Gilchrist took a catch on his left that came off the arm guard of Wasim Jaffer but looked in a dilemma whether to go for a loud appeal. “They were appealing with great gusto and then suddenly they weren’t. They were not quite sure what to do, an obvious postscript to the scrutiny of the side’s behaviour in the Sydney Test,” Waugh wrote in the Courier Mail.

“Gilly had an anguished look that probably came from the fact that from behind the wicket there is no way he would have known whether the ball had hit bat or arm guard yet he was quite entitled to ask the question. You could see the concern on Gilly’s face as the episode was played out,” the former skipper wrote. He also felt that Indian offie Harbhajan Singh could have done well on the WACA track.

“Spinners can profit here but ones who rely on bounce, such as Harbhajan Singh, are normally a better bet,” he said.