Aussie plan to stop India: Dry up runs

Tribune news service

PUNE, FEBRUARY 21

The Australians have prepared hard and have a game plan in place for the tough and demanding tour of India. On the top of the to-do list is, dry up the runs and suffocate the free-flowing Indian batsmen.

“For us to compete, we need to build up pressure on the Indian batsmen,” said Australia’s spin spearhead Nathan Lyon. “We will try to give minimum runs and make the Indians play big shots. That’s how we are going to build pressure and take wickets.”

Josh Hazlewood, the Australian pacer, also felt choking the flow of runs was the best possible way to get the Indian batsmen. “I think it’s about drying up the runs here. The outfields are pretty fast here, and runs can tick along pretty quickly. So you need to bowl a lot of dot balls and maiden overs over a long period of time,” said Hazlewood.

The Australians, who had a preparatory camp in Dubai before arriving here for the four-match series, are quite satisfied with their preparations.

“We’ve trained really well, we scuffed up the wickets to try and replicate what we will get here,” said Lyon. “We know it’s going to turn, going to reverse. The big quicks will have a role, too.  So, yes, it’s going to be a big challenge.”

The Aussie off-spinner revealed that he had been watching Ravichandran Ashwin’s videos to pick some clues about bowling on the Indian tracks. “He’s a world-class bowler and I’ve been studying him a lot. I’ve picked up a few things and have spoken about it to my fellow spinners. Hopefully, we can put them in practice and hit a few pads,” said Lyon.

Lyon admitted that he and his fellow spinners will have to perform really well to put India on the back foot. “We don’t expect our big fast bowlers to come out and get them five down on the first day. It’s a big challenge for us (spinners), but we are looking forward to it,” Lyon added.

Kohli thanks Bolt for congratulating him on record Rs 110 cr deal

India Test skipper Virat Kohli has expressed his gratitude to Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt after the latter congratulated the swashbuckling batsman for signing a Rs 110 crore deal with a sports gear company by becoming its brand ambassador. By bagging an eight-year endorsement contract, Kohli has become the first Indian sportsperson to grab a single deal worth Rs 100 crore or more. Although MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar have been part of the Rs 100-crore club, they did so with multi-year contracts with various brands. Bolt tweeted, “Great choice @imVkohli Time to go to the next level #ForeverFaster”. A few hours later, Kohli tweeted, “I wish I could get as fast as you someday @usainbolt. Thanks legend.” — ANI