Australia's 0-3 loss to Sri Lanka in the Test series is good inspiration for India to thrash the men from Down Under when they arrive early next year; R Ashwin can do what Rangana Herath did in Emerald Isles, says Michael Jeh
Sri Lankan spinner Rangana Herath celebrates the wicket of Australia's Steve Ou00c3u00a2u00c2u0080u00c2u0099Keeffe with teammates during the fifth and the final day of the opening Test in Pallekele on July 30. Pic/AFP
Sri Lankan spinner Rangana Herath celebrates the wicket of Australia's Steve O’Keeffe with teammates during the fifth and the final day of the opening Test in Pallekele on July 30. Pic/AFP
Brisbane: Grit. Determination. Never-say-die. Recover from any position. Never write them off. Think I'm referring to the Aussie battler? Think Allan Border, Steve Waugh and Dean Jones, teeth clenched in determination, literally shedding blood, sweat and tears in the dust and heat of the sub-continent.
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They epitomised the spirit that gave birth to the legend of that indomitable fighting spirit that the baggy green tradition is built on. India take note - on the sub-continent, the Aussie battler reputation is a myth. Sri Lanka have just blown that stereotype out of the water with the sort of fighting spirit that the Aussies love to believe about themselves.
The three-nil Test series was an abject lesson in combating adversity. Rangana Herath apart, an inexperienced bunch of youngsters refused to back down when the odds were stacked against them. And when the pressure was reversed, the Australians simply could not absorb the heat. It is a lesson that India needs to remember next year - in home conditions, all you have to do is stay in the game long enough to make the Aussies crack. And crack they will.
Australian cricket teams have always lived by the axiom that when playing in Asia, to lose patience is to lose war. Words are cheap. On spinning pitches, patience deserts them with bat and ball. The batsmen try too hard to dominate, often pre-meditating their plans against quality spinners. Substitute Herath with Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Amit Mishra and you've got a recipe for panic.
If the young Sri Lankan batsmen can take Australia's GOAT (Greatest Of All Time - Nathan Lyon) apart, imagine what the Indian top order can do if they refuse to be fazed by a few early wickets.
Advantage India
If the pitches prepared are typical Indian pitches that are good for batting but take spin from the outset, a middle order comprising Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma will murder this Australian attack if the openers haven't already done some damage. As Sri Lanka showed, even when Starc cuts an early swathe through the top-order, a 300-plus score is still on the cards if the middle and lower order have the stomach for a fight. Do not under-estimate the value of rearguard runs from genuine all-rounders like Ashwin and Jadeja.
When it comes to all-rounders, Australia are again all at sea with selections. In their quest to find the next Jacques Kallis, they continue to pick all-rounders who are not good enough to make the team in either discipline. Compare Mitch Marsh's record to Ashwin. Who has the more Test centuries?
In a bid to cover bowling depth, they pick mediocre bowlers who bat too high at number 6. This partly explains why the middle-order crumbled so quickly in Sri Lanka. With bat in hand, Australia can go from Maserati to Maruti within minutes when it starts to turn. They fill their heads full of theories and pre-conceived plans and when it goes wrong, they lack the nous to think on their feet and go to Plan B.
Hypnotised by spin
If India can bowl at the stumps, it will ironically be the straight ball that does the most damage, thudding into pad or stumps as the Aussie batsmen get hypnotised by spin and play outside the line. If they use their feet, it often becomes their only method. When that fails, they decide to sweep everything. When that goes to custard, they opt for the dead bat approach.
Can India afford complacency? Far from it. As they've shown in the ODI series, with smarter selections (George Bailey), better use of the sweep shot (Matthew Wade and Aaron Finch) and an athletic fielding side, even on pitches that don't favour the quicks, Australia have lived up to their billing as world champions. They don't become poor cricketers.
Moaners keep at it
One thing's for sure - between now and the Indian tour, the Australians will continue to criticise the pitches in Asia, in the hope that India will cave in to the pressure and prepare seam-friendly decks. Even in victory, they could not resist the temptation to gloat about how they turned the tables on the locals by beating them on a pitch that was apparently doctored to suit the home team. Dodgy deck? Australia successfully chased 212 @ 7 runs per over under lights, losing just four wickets. Finch scored a lightning-fast 55.
De Silva and Bailey both made scores in excess of 74. Why is 74 such a significant number in this context? Rewind back to the green tinged that greeted the Sri Lankans at the Gabba in 2013. Australia bowled out for 74 in just 26 overs, visitors scraping home with four wickets in hand.
Game over before the lights were switched on. Total run rate less than three runs per over. 16 wickets for 150 runs in the game. Nuwan Kulasekara, that demon fast bowler (sarcasm noted) finished with 5/22. The top score in the match was 22. And Warner has the audacity to complain about poor pitches that backfire on home teams?
Comparing Sri Lankan pitches to more favourable ones around the world, Warner even went out of his way to praise the pitch at Trent Bridge where England mauled Pakistan. When was the last time Australia were bowled out for 60 on the sub-continent, like at Trent Bridge last year? When it swings or spins, Australia can struggle. That is India's blueprint for success next year. And then just shrug off the inevitable barbs about poor pitches!
Michael Jeh is a Brisbane-based former first-class player
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