Living up to Lillee’s famous line

But for Mitchell, the high of being one among the Men in Yellow was too great. He didn’t have time for such travesties. He was busy soaking in the last few hours with the famous men around him, rather than worry about going to Queensland where he once worked as a delivery man for a plumbing company.

Like his previous job, he drove into soaking and dripping conditions to deliver for his captain. After his match-turning 4/11, captain Ricky Ponting had called him a real exciting prospect last night and today morning every word from his pierced tongue was being lapped up by a strong international media. While answering to the media, Mitchell acknowledged the knowing glances of Matthew Hayden and Damien Martyn, who headed towards the Twin Towers.

Still not sure if he looked the part, the young left-arm pacer checked up with the media manager after the briefing. “Was I Ok?’’ was the modest question as Phillip Pope gave a rigorous shake of the head.

But yesterday on the field he looked very much the part, knew the do’s and don’ts and had an intimidating aura around him too.

After their batting disappointment, Australia dialled M for McGrath and Mitchell as their weapon. McGrath set it up and Mitchell had scalped the who’s who of Indian batting line-up. Right-handers Dravid and Tendulkar beaten by precise away moment and then he moved the ball in the opposite direction to dismiss left-hander Pathan and Yuvraj Singh. Pathan was foxed by the drift in air while Yuvraj the bounce.

It was these skills that made Aussie great Dennis Lillee give a famous line about a 17-year-old Johnson: He is a once in a generation bowler. And it was comments like these and his steady climb through grade Cricket that had the chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch say today that they had “an eye on the boy for the last five years.’’

In those five years...