Australia mindful of India’s spinners

 

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By Adam Cooper, 26 Dec 2007 Adam Cooper is a Roar Pro

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Michael Clarke believes Australia’s batsmen must be settled and well set if they are to nullify the prospect of India bowling two spinners in tandem this Test cricket series.

The tourists are considering playing two turners in the first Test at the MCG, which starts tomorrow, in captain Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh.

Even if India decide to play only Kumble tomorrow, Harbhajan will come into calculations for the second Test at the spin-friendly SCG and the fourth and final Test in Adelaide.

Kumble’s legspin and Harbhajan’s offspin could make for a tricky tandem act if India can have both spinners bowling on their terms.

But Clarke said it was important Australia countered India’s spin tactics the same way they did Sri Lanka’s last month, when the batsmen were usually well established in their innings when Muttiah Muralitharan came on to bowl.

Muralitharan took only four wickets at an average of 100 runs apiece in the two Tests, in Brisbane and Hobart.

“What set us up well against Sri Lanka was we had two guys in a lot of the time when Murali came on,” Clarke said.

“It wasn’t a new guy going out to bat and I believe that’s when the great spinners do their best work, and Kumble and Harbhajan will be exactly the same.

“If we’ve got new guys going into bat they’ll be very hard to start your innings against.”

Similarly, Clarke believed Australia would benefit from facing Sri Lanka’s left-arm swing bowler Chaminda Vaas when it came to preparing to face India’s left-arm quicks Zaheer Khan, RP Singh and Irfan Pathan.

© 2007 AAP

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