While India’s newfound control of Australian superstar Steve Smith is attracting heavy attention, it’s largely gone unnoticed the tourists have established a dominance over off spinner Nathan Lyon.
In his last four Tests against India, all played in Australia, Lyon has snared just nine wickets at 53. Meanwhile, the Indian spinners have run riot in those same matches, combining for 25 wicket at 20.
The most prolific Australian finger spinner in history is being comprehensively out-bowled in his own backyard.
Lyon now faces the task of trying to reassert himself against India at the SCG, a venue where he’s consistently laboured, averaging 38 across his nine Tests at the ground.
India, in particular, have flayed him in Sydney. Lyon averages 55 in his three Tests against India at the SCG. Last time the teams met at this ground, Lyon was forced to send down 57.2 overs in India’s only innings as they churned out a mammoth total of 7-622.
Cheteshwar Pujara has been central to India’s quelling of Lyon across those past four Tests. TV commentators this summer have repeatedly mentioned Lyon’s supposedly good Test record against India’s first drop, with his ten career dismissals of Pujara the most of any bowler worldwide.
It’s true Lyon troubled Pujara earlier in his career. In the first three series in which they faced off, Lyon dismissed him seven times at an average of 33.
Since the start of the 2018-19 series in Australia, however, Pujara has blanketed Lyon. Over those six Tests, Lyon has sent down a whopping 441 deliveries to the Indian, yet managed to dislodge him just three times at an average of 69.
Pujara’s success in that time has been built on his swift footwork. No batsman in world cricket is more effective at coming down the wicket against spinners.
While some players do this as an aggressive tactic, aiming to get to the pitch of the ball and loft down the ground, Pujara also employs it defensively. By skipping down the track at slow bowlers he reduces the threat posed by the close-in fielders.
That’s because when he’s defeated in the flight and the ball catches his inside edge or his glove, it tends to lob back towards the bowler, out of reach of the men at short leg or silly mid-off. Those fieldsmen are positioned for batsmen playing from the crease. They are also key to Lyon’s bowling.
Has India got Nathan Lyon’s measure? (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Because when Lyon’s opponents consistently stay in their crease, his sharp turn and bounce brings those close-in fielders into play. With those fieldsmen looming, waiting for a minor error in front or backfoot defence, batsmen can begin to doubt the foundation of their game.
We saw this last summer against New Zealand. The Kiwi batsmen were surprisingly timid against Lyon, rarely using their feet or employing the sweep, and instead playing him mostly from the crease.
As a result, Australia’s close-in fielders were constantly in the action, with Lyon hoarding 20 wickets, his biggest ever haul in a three-Test series.
By comparison, the Kiwi spinners were impotent. This summer, things have been flipped, with Lyon unable to create pressure, and the Indian slow bowlers muddling the minds of the Aussie batsmen.
Even Australia’s two best players of spin, Smith and Marnus Labuschagne, have looked uncertain against Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, and seemingly concerned about the presence of close-in fielders.
When Ashwin is bowling, in particular, these fieldsmen have been busy. To Smith and Labuschagne, Ashwin has been operating with two men in close on the leg side – a short leg and a leg slip. To the right handers, Ashwin’s bowled much straighter than Lyon.
(Photo by Peter Mundy/Speed Media/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The Aussie has mostly kept a traditional line, pitching the bowl well outside off stump and looking to turn the ball back between bat and pad to kiss the edge of that same stump. Ashwin, by comparison, has more regularly adopted what used to be considered a defensive line, targeting the batsmen’s pads.
Spinners in the past tended to use this approach as a last resort, stacking the leg side to stem the run rate. Not so for Ashwin. He’s employing it as an attacking weapon.
The same way Lyon aims to get batsmen to doubt their defence, Ashwin is trying to make the Aussie batsmen second guess their leg-side play.
Glancing a delivery off their pads – a reflexive and safe shot for most batsmen – suddenly becomes a risky proposition against Ashwin. He is attempting to turn the instincts Smith, Labuschagne and co against them. So far it is working brilliantly.
Meanwhile, Lyon is maintaining the same strategy that brought him success early in the last series against India, and in their previous encounter in 2017.
But the Indian batsmen have adapted, the same way their bowlers have changed tack against Smith. The tourists are no longer rooted to their crease consistently against Lyon and bringing the close-in fielders into play.
Perhaps Lyon can turn the tide in Sydney without having to change his approach. The signs are strong, however, that India’s batsmen have his measure.
Greg Russell
Roar Guru
Yes, you've nailed it here Ronan: the point is that India's batsmen have handled Lyon much better than Australia's have handled India's spinners. This was exemplified on the last day we have just witnessed at the SCG, when Lyon unquestionably failed. It's true that he enjoyed little luck, but as the old saying goes, "The harder I train, the luckier I get". In other words, there is a sense in which India's batsmen - Pujara in particular - look lucky against Lyon but actually this is part of their skill in playing him. When one compares how India has fared on their most recent tours of NZ, South Africa and England with how they have fared in Australia in 2018-9 and 2020-1, one has to honestly ask: what on earth is Australia thinking with the pitches they prepare for India? Really, if you want to host India and beat them, then you just forget about your spinners and prepare pitches for your quicks. It's what the other SENA countries do, frequently not even bothering to select a spinner for home tests against India. But for some reason Australia continues to think "Hey, we'll host India at the MCG and SCG, and Lyon can do his schtick." But guess what - all this does is bring India into the game and make it more difficult for Australia.
Simon G
Roar Rookie
I think the thing you are failing to realise here Ronan is that, apart from being a great spinner, Lyon is also a great tandem bowler. The amount of wickets that Lyon might not get for himself but the bowler at the other end gets as a result of the constant pressure that Lyon applies is very high. This should not be underestimated.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
This series: Nathan Lyon: 4 wickets at 58 India spinners: 17 wickets at 21 ******************************************* Last 5 Tests between India and Australia: Nathan Lyon: 9 wickets at 62 India spinners: 29 wickets at 22
Lance Boil
Roar Rookie
Yes Manners, if it was up to some people we wouldn't bother putting up a team at all! None of "them" are any good!
badmanners
Roar Rookie
It has been a strange year or so hasn't it? We got to the 3rd test before we got a Lyon bashing post. Somehow got nearly 400 wickets through luck.
Greg Russell
Roar Guru
I concur completely with Paul. The Australian bowlers pretty much single-handedly won the first test for Australia. Even in the second test the bowlers did enough for Australia to win, and the failure was purely down to poor batting and dropped catches. Normally I find Ronan does his research well and is accurate in his views, but in this case he's wide of the mark - Lyon has been perfectly acceptable in this series, and his numbers are far superior to Smith's, whose are awful.
U
Roar Rookie
Lyon has these times where he goes to sleep and cruises for 5-10 tests. That’s why he will never be amongst the very best spinners
Nathan Absalom
Roar Guru
If you're going to set such a field, you have to think both about the line of the length ball and the line of the short ball. Ordinarily, the length ball is aimed at the top of off stump or one or two stump widths wider, with the short ball aimed at passing over middle and leg. When you have a leg slip, you can't afford to allow the player inside the short ball and find the vacant space behind the wicket. Instead, the length ball needs to be aimed at middle and leg and the short ball one or two stump widths outside off. When the batsmen shuffles across they now move into the line of the short ball making it difficult to play and open up the leg slip/gully on the full ball. If bowlers can be disciplined on both short and length balls, then the tactic ought to yield reward.
JamesH
Roar Guru
They don't even need to be overly attacking, just some positive footwork like Pujara's would help. Get out and smother the ball. Make the bowler change something.
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
Yeah that's frustrating.
Paul
Roar Guru
good point. It's certainly been the case with the shufflers in this series and the Black Caps thought so against Wade and Head last series too.
Paul
Roar Guru
great comment James, about how each side is playing the opposition spinners. It'll be interesting to see how Australia go about things later today.
JamesH
Roar Guru
My thoughts exactly. He's averaging 36 in this series (26 in the last match), with no luck at all. Hardly a domination. I also think the success of Ashwin and Jadeja this series and last is partly (and significantly) down to the way each team's batsmen have approached spin. India has had plans to unsettle Lyon's length and neutralise his bounce, while Australia's batsmen have been timid and sat in their crease. The exception is Green, who has been happy to come down the wicket to Ashwin.
redbackfan
Roar Rookie
the whole leg slip thing is interesting. (remember cameron bancroft?) is it the answer to the modern shuffle and cover the stumps technique?
Paul
Roar Guru
I think we need to take a step back and look just at this series. Starting with the First Test, Lyon troubled Pujara in particular and could have had more than just the one wicket in the only innings he bowled in that Test. Move to the Second Test where Lyon bowled on a day 2 Melbourne wicket after Australia failed with the bat on day 1. He bowled 27 tidy overs and took 3 for 72. Again, he could have had more if luck had gone his way. So all together Lyon's bowled in 3 innings ( only 3 overs in the second innings at the MCG) and is yet to be collared. I'd suggest India are certainly playing him well, which is hardly surprising, but to suggest they're dominating him, in this series, is not quite right.
JOHN ALLAN
Guest
Sub continent batsmen over the years play spin well as they face a lot of spinners on their home decks. With the exception of Warne, I can’t recall an Aussie spinner who has troubled them on a consistent basis perhaps since Benaud. Lyon reminds me of watching Ray Bright bowl when a wag in the crowd called out “How about confusing the batsman Ray by actually spinning the ball”?
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Lyon got dominated in the first spell of the series. Straight, short and flat. He should’ve been full, outside and with air. —— It was also an example of one of the many inabilities of our captain to effect strategies and tactics when we are bowling. He is bereft and clueless. He should’ve made sure of Lyon’s mindset. Captains take wickets, bowlers are just the machinery. —– Paine is a great keeper, bonhomie champion and a good defensive bat. (Why do I need to say that?)
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
My absolutely innocuous post has gone to the Politburro. Mensch.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Lyon got psyched out in his first spell of the season. Straight, short and no air. He should've bowled outide, full and with air. Not only did he get dominated from that point but our captain was MIA. Captains take wickets, bowlers are just the tools.
Ad-O
Guest
Lets face it. Lyon was always a guy who made the most of his limited ability. Indian batsmen have done worse to far better.