Hailing R Ashwin as the best off-spinner in the world at the moment, Australia’s Nathan Lyon said he has been watching bowling footage of the Indian ace to add to his own repertoire.
“I have been watching a lot of footage of Ashwin, the way he goes about it, his different release points,” said the Aussie off-spinner here on Tuesday. “He is a world-class spinner -- the best at the moment in the world and there is a reason for it. I have been studying him a lot, hopefully I can put it in play … I am not going to tell you what is that, because the whole world will read it. There are a few things as spinners in the Australian team we have certainly spoken about.
“Hopefully we can put them in practice and hit a few pads… There are a few changes, but I am not going to change my whole action for this tour. I am aware you need to change a few things here and there. We are playing on the same wickets as they are, so there are no excuses,” he explained. Lyon, who will lead Australia’s spin duties, said he was enjoying the responsibility.
“(The responsibility) doesn’t add any more pressure,” he stressed “Our job is to bowl well together and in partnership and put pressure. I am looking at this as a chance to pass knowledge to some, especially the younger spinners who have not toured here before. Last time was a challenging tour for Australian cricket. Hopefully we can learn from that and put in play what we learnt from four years ago.”
SG ball practice
Meanwhile, paceman Josh Hazlewood said he was getting the hang of bowling with the SG ball which is used in India for the Test matches.
“I haven’t bowled with the SG bowl, this is my first time,” he said. “It’s a little bit different. I have been training with it. The brand new ball swings a bit, and once it’s old (it) reverses. Good signs there. We have three frontline quicks and that’s plenty of fast bowling for this tour. We have been working together and working on different things. They are all coming on nicely.
Adjusting to conditions, Hazlewood felt, was crucial, especially to the slow nature of the pitches which progressively get softer.
“Obviously you expect that (lack of bounce) I guess, most of the games,” he noted. “Maybe Day 1, the nicks are going to carry with the harder ball. But it’s different to Australia where the nicks generally carry (to fielders). But you have to get your head around it. Once it gets softer, it’s not going to carry.
“You try and take wickets in other ways. Bowled, LBW, caught in front of the wicket, there are plenty of chances,” he offered.
