It could not be more obvious that Australia must play the Indian spinners well if they are to have any chance of doing well in India.
Australia’s record of just one Test win in Asia for nearly a decade underlines just how badly Australia have struggled in conditions which help spinners.
Australia don’t control what the pitches are likely to be or the quality of India spinners, but there is a spin trap that Australia do have control over, and one which they must avoid. Australia must play their best bowlers in India.
Most teams when they visit India, almost feel obliged to field a spin heavy attack, even if the spinners are not good enough to play at the Test level. Teams forget that Indian batsmen are very good players of spin, and it will take a very good spinner to be truly effective against the Indian batting order.
Consequently, the spinners prove ineffective and the bowlers who are potentially better equipped to get the Indian batsmen out, find themselves on the sidelines.
This was evident in the two most recent series that India have hosted.
First the touring Kiwi side couldn’t find a spot for Tim Southee in their playing XI in any of the three Tests they played, relying instead on spinners like Mark Craig and Jeetan Patel. Neither Craig nor Patel have the calibre to be Test bowlers, and didn’t really Test the Indian batsmen.
This is not to say that Southee would necessarily have run through the Indian batting line up, but he would have had a better chance of doing it.
When touring sides play spinners just because it is India, they forget to take into account the quality of India’s batting against spin and also the quality of those spinners. Just because the pitches are likely to help spinners, doesn’t mean that any and every spinner will be effective and do the job for you.
Even the best of spinners like Shane Warne and Murali have traditionally struggled against India, and it was a bit too much to expect Patel and Craig to buck that trend.
If a spinner is good, he could potentially do well, as Graeme Swann showed in 2012 series where he helped England win a series in India. However, the belief that just any spinner will do the trick, is just a recipe for failure, as the Kiwis found out.
England then arrived in India, not having learnt any lessons from the Blackcaps, and were so obsessed with the idea of playing spinners that they chose to field Gareth Batty, Zafar Ansari and Liam Dawson during the Tests, with the likes of Steve Finn, Chris Woakes and even Jimmy Anderson taking turns sitting on the sidelines to make way for these spinners.
Is there an ICC law that obligates teams touring India to field at least a fixed number of spinners, or the captain will be fined? It is the only possible explanation for this seeming weird insistence on playing essentially club level spinners ahead of much better and proven Test bowlers.
Batty was never a Test level spinner, and the likes of Ansari and Dawson are barely good enough to trouble county cricket batsmen, how were they expected to be effective against the Indian batting line-up?
As expected playing bowlers, just because they were spinners, and ignoring that they were just not good enough for the Test level, didn’t work.
Australia’s tactics while selecting the playing XI must simply be to go in with their best bowlers, and if one of them happens to be a spinner, then great. When Australia last won a series in India, it was not on the back of Warne’s performance but rather it was Jason Gillespie who led the way finishing as the top wicket-taker for Australia, well ahead of Warne.
A top bowler is a top bowler anywhere, and in the past, James Anderson and Dale Steyn have returned from a Test series in India with a bagful of wickets. It is true that the pitches in India are not conducive to seam bowling, and they weren’t when New Zealand and England toured there recently.
However, it is also true that even on those surfaces, England’s best seamers would have had a much better chance of getting wickets than the club level spinners England (and New Zealand) chose to go with, and in the upcoming series the same holds true for Australia.
The horses for courses approach has rarely if ever, worked for touring teams in India, and Australia must take note of this if they are to put an end to their recent run of disappointing tours to the sub-continent.
davSA
Guest
This debate has come up often enough recently and my response is always the same. Play to your strengths , its what you know and are good at and Australia's game is a pace game. No Shane Warne around at he moment I'm afraid. Taking India on in India at a spin contest is cricketing suicide. Two Spinners are going to be needed and Nathan Lyon can be the only choice first up. The other I'm not too sure of. South Africa has had a lot of success against India on the back of good pace attacks (frankly lousy spinners). But they have been the best overseas team playing in India in the last 20 years . Always with pace. The last series India were so wary of SA's pace attack that they prepared rank dustbowls. SA although losing every game were pretty competitive and but for the odd bad toss loss, may well have got a better result. The big question is ........ Will India do the same to Australia or in the interests of cricket prepare proper test wickets?
John
Guest
Whoever we pick to bat at number 6 Maxwell or S Marsh can we please pick them for more than 1 test!!!!! Was an absolute joke how often we changed the number 6 this summer, blokes deserve more than 1 test!!
BrainsTrust
Guest
Steve Smith is talking about batting slow and taking ones time.. An allrounder is generally needed when you have 3 or 4 fast bowlers and no part timers. In rare cases if you pick 3 spinners you might want someone to take the new ball. What I think is the plan is dependent on the wicket Australia will be playing for a draw in some matches. I think for those matches they will pick three allrounders and 2 bowlers, or 2 allrounders and 3 bowlers.
Brasstacks
Guest
"Mate, I’m in your backyard (and it stinks because it lacks a lavatory), but I don’t care" This is getting old. For the past 15 years, Indian hotels are some of the best these cricketers get to stay in all over the cricketing world. India is a developing country and there are basic problems still, but that has got absolutely nothing to do with our cricketers. They get to stay in world class hotels and savor world class food. Quit with the excuses. And if it does stink, why do our players still go and play in the IPL? Says something about our players if they are willing to play amidst poo for money.
Kopa Shamsu
Guest
" they forget to take into account the quality of India’s batting against spin" lol,yah,we saw that against SA,captain vk averaged 30 with a highest score of 80...79,92 all out,after SA series suddenly Ind turned their pitches into "sporting pitches"? no my friend,though ind defeated SA in test series(where SA was without steyn,tahir out of form,if SA would have discovered shamsi before that series, the result would have been otherwise, don't ask me how,just watch their performance against herath in SL,where "quality player of spin" couldn't chase 150) ind batting was criticised, then they came up with sporting pitches against inexperienced Eng & NZ,who havn't played india in those condition not even A series,with contrast to aussies who defeated ind A in ind featuring at least five players of current ind national team, if i remember correctly captain vk was out to spinners in both innings, once to agar the other was to sok,i'm really looking forward to this,if ind gives same pitches as nz or eng to Aus they will be doomed to starc,jh other wise they will fall to sok,lyon,agar :D
Bee bee
Guest
When I hear the words, "sexy batting duel." And make them "uncomfortable." I can only think of one person to invite to that party. Glenn Maxwell.
Linphoma
Guest
Whatever it takes to make them feel uncomfortable in their backyard. Learn some Hindi and sledge them subtly. Mate, I'm in your backyard (and it stinks because it lacks a lavatory), but I don't care. Me and my mates got a job to do. Like 2004 again. The Final Frontier. Boof was there. Clarke made his debut. Haydos, JL, Punter, Giilly, Ooh Ahh, Warnie, Kasper, Jason Gillespie (gee, why can't I recall a nickname for him?) are all still around. Tap into this brains trust and see what sort of selection mix they can come up with - and stick with in all conditions. Kohli has already stated he wants fair (flat) tracks so we might not see the rank turner-from-over-one. So he's sexy on batting duels. What makeup of batting, fielding and bowling will make India most uncomfortable?
Linphoma
Guest
Too right. Someone to bowl dry and let Virat and co.'s egos blow out.Adam Zampa or John Hastings perhaps.Choke the boundaries, cut the doubles or triples to singles and make their egos sweat for the runs. Prey(Pray?) on that.Keep the crowd quiet - they only care when runs are flowing. Choke them with pace, Plan A. Choke them with negative spin (fine leg, deep mid on or of, deep third man, gun fielder in the covers and anther at midwicket). Choke them, with spin, Garry and SOK darting it into the top of off (for Garry to right handers) and middle (for SOK/Ashton Agar/Steve Smith/Dave Warner in his leggie guise/Mitchell Swepson). Batting confidence says the top 6 + wk have to deliver The bottom 4 can bat as they please but I dare say in India as per 2013, blokes like Starc (and the missing Siddle) can deliver runs lower down. Not on a regular basis but with some consistency. Play to your strengths: (Starc, Hazlewood, third seamer or second spinner). Execute accordingly, but be flexible when A or B comes under the blowtorch.
Adrian
Guest
They are now saying that, after 2 tests, they have the option to add 2 more pace bowlers, and are likely to take Pattinson and Cummins (why Cummins when he keeps getting injured, I don't know). But why not add them now, and delete the obviously inappropriate Ashton Agar and whatever that other spin bowler was - Mitchell something or other? Swepson? 2 is enough, and we've got 2 really experienced and really good ones who are already going, in Lyon and O'Keefe. That's enough. Fill the roster up with fast bowlers, and our very best are what we want. Mind you, Chadd Sayers is pretty absurdly unlucky not to be one of the first names they think of, too.
Con
Guest
Agree agree agree. This approach of taking 4 spinners to India and only three quicks is completely fraught with danger. What is the selectors plan B if Lyon and O'Keefe go the journey in the 1st test, we get beaten comfortably. India will look at that squad and see Starc and Hazlewood as the dangers. So they will go hard against the spinners and force them out of the attack, to then expose the quicks for longer spells of bowling and fielding. In 2004 we had three quicks and Warne. Warne played a support role while the quicks did the damage. it also helped that our batting was consistent and prolific and was able to score big first innings totals throughout the series. We should have gone the extra quick (Sayers) and left Agar behind.
Disco Stu
Roar Rookie
I very much agree. An average spinner won't suddenly become a matchwinner in India. And an average spinner still won't be better than a good pace bowler, even on an Indian pitch.
Linphoma
Guest
I have a feeling that the bowling will sort itself out if the batting can come to grips. Perhaps take a cerebral look at it and do what makes them most uncomfortable. Grind their bowlers - give them two days in the field. India would be expecting the usual Australian approach out of the blocks. How about shifting Warner to lower in the order? That would give any opposing captain food for thought.If they open with Ashwin, throw Handscomb (a right hander with footwork) in to face him. The batting lineup has to go big. England racked 400+ scores in their first dig on 3 out of 4 occasions recently and lost. Do that with interest and then tear into them with the new rock with throat balls and yorkers. Give them what they are least comfortable with. Even if that means India has to score 500+ it will take time. I just don't want to see pathetic innings losses and if the batsmen can play for time as well as score its their best chance. With 400+ scores the bowling lineup, whatever its makeup, should be at least in with some show. Maybe not win, but at least show some ticker.
jonty smith
Roar Guru
Warner Renshaw Smith sMarsh Handscomb Maxwell M.Wade SOK Starc Hoff Bird This is our best chance of winning No khawaja because he can't play spin 3 seam bowlers, because that's our strength as well as SOK and maxwell, and to a lesser extent warner as spin options
Rob JM
Guest
I think the combination of Lyon/Okeef is a far stronger spin bowling attack than anything India have faced for a while. It also means we can play S Marsh at 6 to give our strongest batting line without dropping any of the incumbents that have all performed this summer. Once maxwell comes in then it does give you the option of playing Bird or a bowling allrounder at the expense most likely of Lyon. If we had Cummins/Pattinson along with O'keef and Maxwell that would clearly be our best (although high risk) chance of beating india. Its not out of the question for the last two tests either.