`Siraj is a very, very skillful bowler and I thought he bowled very well in his first Test’
Sydney: India’s bowling has been their greatest strength over the last couple of years, a period that has seen them win three out of six Test matches in Australia, says Australia head coach Justin Langer.
“India, their greatest strength over the last couple of series, has been their (bowling’s) discipline, they have been so disciplined,” said Langer while speaking to reporters on Tuesday ahead of the third Test which begins Thursday.
Langer said that the Australian team has revisited strategies, especially against off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin who has picked 10 wickets in the first two Tests and has got rid of Australian batting mainstay Steve Smith twice.
Australia have failed to get past 200 in two of the three full innings they have batted, something which has invited criticism from former captains, including Ricky Ponting.
“Any time you are not looking at over 200, you are looking at ways to improve. I think we’ve got to look at our strategies against Indian spinners. Ashwin is bowling very well. We have worked very hard on that in the last week or so. Obviously (Jasprit) Bumrah is a world class bowler. (Mohammed) Siraj is a very, very skillful bowler. I thought he bowled very well in his first Test and debut,” said Langer.
The head coach further said that the first two games have been low-scoring, because of both the wickets as well as India’s good bowling.
“I think if you look at the last two Test matches, they have been reasonably low scoring games. I loved the last two Tests because the wickets have provided even contest between bat and ball. And you have to work a bit harder. I think there is the factor of wickets we have played on. There has certainly been some seam movement, there has been swing on those two wickets,” Langer said.
“India have taken a straighter line to a couple of batters and set the fields accordingly. Let us not discount R Ashwin. He has played a lot of cricket. They, Bumrah and Ashwin are great bowlers and tough to score against. Credit to India, the way they have planned and been disciplined,” he added.
There have been talks that the wicket at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) will help the Indian bowlers. The Australian head coach, however, feels that his team have a number of players from New South Wales (the state where Sydney is) and they enjoy playing at the SCG. He also said that it would be a good cricket wicket that could help both batsmen and bowlers.
“In the current Australian cricket team, most of the players are from New South Wales. They love playing at the SCG. I guess, back in the day you could argue that it was beneficial for India back when it used to spin big. But we are expecting a good cricket wicket here and you know we have the advantage of having Nathan Lyon who is the great spin bowler. I think they are pretty evenly matched. We have got great success here. Let us hope we continue here,” Langer said.
Langer further said David Warner was “very, very, very likely” to play the third Test against India, with Will Pucovski shaping as his opening partner after being given the all-clear from a concussion.
“He looks like he’s moving pretty well. He’s very determined to play,” said Langer. “I’d say he’s looking very, very, very likely to play the Test match.” But he added: “He’s going to be playing through pain though. It’s not so much in the muscle but in the tendon area.”
Joe Burns opened with Matthew Wade in the opening two Tests in Adelaide and Melbourne, but after a run of poor scores has been axed.
It opens the door for Pucovski to make his debut after Langer said an independent neurologist had cleared him of any lingering damage after the latest in a series of concussions.
“Will has still got a few boxes to tick today then we weigh up whether this Test match is right, or the next Test match is right. Time will tell,” said Langer.
Australia batting mainstay Steve Smith is going through a lean patch in the ongoing series but coach Justin Langer feels the batsman will find his form in the third Test against India.
Smith, who won the ICC Test Player of the Decade award, had found his form ahead of the limited-overs series, but wasn’t able to carry on the momentum in the longest format. Coach Langer backed Smith and warned Team India that great players do not miss out on scoring for a long period.
“Imagine how good we will be when he does start batting — that’s how I look at it. He hasn’t had the best of series so far. He will be the first to admit that. My gosh, what I know about great players, the longer they miss out, the sooner they are coming good again,” Langer said during a virtual press conference.
“That puts a big smile on my face. How do you coach Steve? I don’t coach Steve Smith. Steve Smith coaches himself and I am sure he is going to work it out,” he added.
Langer expressed his excitement and said he can’t wait to watch Smith bat as long as he is coaching the team from Down Under.
“He is a great player and I can’t wait to watch him bat this Test match and the next Test match and, hopefully, for as long as I am coach,” said Langer.
The right-handed batsman has been dismissed twice by India’s spin spearhead Ravichandran Ashwin. His struggle against the off-spinner became obvious when Smith himself admitted that he allowed the spinner to dictate terms in their battle in the ongoing Test series.