Boof hoping to conquer cricket's mission impossible

Coach Darren Lehmann has a fair idea of what is required from Australia if they’re to reverse a subcontinent slump during Test cricket’s most intimidating tour.

Lehmann knows first hand, as one of 13 Australian men to have won a Test series in India during the past 47 years.

Lehmann also knows about top-ranked Test side India’s recent dominance of all comers at home, where they have suffered one series loss in the past 12 years.

And he knows the issues that have plagued Australia, especially their batsmen, during a nine-Test losing streak in Asia.

Lehmann didn’t attempt to sugar-coat the challenge presented by the four-Test series that starts in Pune on February 23.

“Everything’s going to have to go right, that’s a simple fact of life,” Lehmann said, reflecting on the breakthrough 2-1 series win in 2004 which he played in.

“You’ve got to be really methodical, well prepared. Which they will be.

“We have to hold every catch, we fielded unbelievably (in 2004).

“And we batted big, that’s the key … you got to put pressure on them.”

Lehmann expects finding a way to consistently conjure the monster totals he craves will be the hardest part.

“We’re not fearing getting the 20 wickets, we’ve just got to put enough scoreboard pressure on them,” he said.

“We’re going to have to pick up certain areas … playing a world-class side like India is going to be tough.”

And how.

Australia haven’t won a Test in India since 2004.

They were humbled 3-0 in Sri Lanka last year, imploding with the bat during a series in which Mitchell Starc and Shaun Marsh were the only players to enhance their subcontinent reputations.

Last year it was Rangana Herath, aged 38, who bamboozled the tourists so brutally despite the fact Cricket Australia hired local legend Muttiah Muralitharan as a consultant coach.

The left-arm spinner finished with 28 wickets at 12.75.

Now tweakers Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, the best and second best bowler in the world according to the ICC rankings, are poised to create carnage.

Australia’s batsmen will shape up for series by using ‘ProBatter’, which combines a high-tech bowling machine and video screen in an effort to simulate a specific bowler, and playing an intra-squad match at the ICC academy in Dubai.

Steve Smith’s squad has already been studying video analysis of India’s star bowlers and their imposing list of batsmen, headed by fiery skipper Virat Kohli.

“They’ve been doing that for a while. The lads are pretty good with that sort of stuff now, they’ve had that on file now for probably two or three months,” Lehmann said.

“We just have to play pressure cricket for five days.

“Any away tour is really tough … for us, subcontinent tours are the frontier if you like.

“It (winning) would mean a hell of a lot to a young group.”

It remains a new-look side following the mid-summer overhaul of the Australian team, with selectors’ major conundrum being who claims the vacant No.6 spot in the order.

But nine players, including Smith and deputy David Warner, are returning for their second Test tour of India.

As eloquently put by Shane Watson, who came home after being suspended during the infamous ‘homeworkgate’ tour of 2013 under then-coach Mickey Arthur then returned to captain the side, it can’t get any worse than last time.

Australia lost all four Tests in that series. It was a fractured group devoid of morale, while the notorious bans triggered outrage from Lehmann and other players past and present.

“What are we doing???? Cricket ????? Adults we are, not schoolboys!” Lehmann tweeted at the time.

Australia posted first-innings totals of 380 and 408 during that trip but, as England recently found out in their crushing 4-0 series defeat, they didn’t have enough runs on the board.

“On that tour, they were on top at various times then India would fight back and vice versa,” Lehmann said.

“You’ve got to bat well .. that’s going to be the challenge.”

It is difficult but not impossible. Matt Hayden swept his way to a series-leading 549 runs at 110 in a 2-1 series loss in 2001, while Damien Martyn topped the batting charts in Australia’s 2004 success.

“We hope we have a Martyn or Hayden type series from someone. If we do that, we’ll make enough runs,” Lehmann said.