#IndVsAus: Indian spinners need to emulate Nathan Lyon
The blame game over the rank bad pitch prepared for the first Test in Pune has not even ended and Bangalore is already in focus. As fans inside the Chinnaswamy Stadium rubbed their eyes in disbelief seeing the Indian batsmen crumble once again, it was Nathan Lyon who put in a lion-hearted show.
In exactly a week, since the time Virat Kohli's side lost the Pune Test by 333 runs, there has been lot of positive talk. First, coach Anil Kumble said one needed to talk beyond the 22 yards that is a cricket pitch, and then Kohli said there was no point talking about negative stuff.
All this was music for the ears, but what the eyes saw from an Indian fan's point of view was how Lyon mangled the famed Indian batting line-up. Less side spin and more over-spin with the ability to generate bounce, Lyon was the star who was never hyped up to come so good.
So, how does one look at the first day's play in the garden city of Bangalore where there was little to cheer for India other than KL Rahul's monumental innings of 90 runs. The opener showed technique and grit in facing 205 deliveries for his 90 runs. It was an exhibition which reflected the lack of application from the other famed Indian batsmen.
To say that the Indians don't know how to play spin would be stating the obvious these days. The initial fear for India before the series began should have been how they would handle Mitch Starc.
It has turned out to be an altogether different tale till now. Who are the people asking the curators to produce such sadistic pitches in India needs some kind of a probe as this is not what you expect on the first day of a Test which is supposed to last for five days.
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| Nathan Lyon put in a lion-hearted show. |
Back to Lyon, he has indeed been a revelation. If Steve O'Keefe was the star in Pune, Lyon bowled with a plan. He almost did not make it to India as his recent performance in the sub-continent had been bad. Lyon learnt a few tricks of the trade from the Big Bash league in Australia, and more importantly, he has learnt that the best thing to do is stick to the basics in the sub-continent.
He bowled a nagging line and given his action, he is able to generate unpredictable bounce. The ability to peg away by hitting the same spot and let the ball do the rest was mesmerising. It not only hassled the famed batsmen like Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and company, Lyon was able to do so many different things.
The one with which he got rid of Kohli leg before wicket was smart work. The Indian skipper seemed to have read it wrong in the air and was caught in front of the wicket. The world's best batsman is not supposed to make such mistakes but his three dismissals in the series till now have been painful to watch.
For long, we believed Indians play spin well. However, when England came to India, you did not produce bad pitches to get them out. Who and why is making such tracks which are exposing the lack of application from the Indian batsmen is perplexing. At the same time, it does expose the inability of the dadas to play spin the way it should be. If Rahul can bat with poise, one expects the same from the rest as well.
For their part, the Aussie batsmen have done well to score 40 without losing a wicket in their first innings. R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have a lot of responsibilty to shoulder, more so as Kohli has gone in with four bowlers.
Ashwin has bowled six overs and given away 11 runs. A former Aussie cricketer on Saturday described getting rid of Kohli as destroying the head of the snake. Perhaps, they are not aware when Ashwin and Jadeja get going, they can be more dangerous than snakes.
There are areas to be exploited on this Chinnaswamy Stadium track and given Ashwin's recent success, he is aware India looks up to him. From here onwards in the Bangalore Test, it's the Indian spinners who will be watched with great interest.
(Courtesy of Mail Today.)