For the team’s forthcoming tour of India, former Australia coach Darren Lehmann has revealed who he believes should pair with Nathan Lyon as the team’s second spinner.
February marks the start of a four-match Test series in India. Spin is anticipated to play a significant role in determining which team will prevail and bring home the prestigious Border-Gavaskar trophy as well as the crucial ICC World Test Championship points which are on offer.
Lehmann was in charge of the Australian squad that last triumphed in a Test match played on Indian soil in 2017. That victory came in Pune, where left-arm spin bowler Stephen O’Keefe bagged 12 wickets to surprise the home team.
Importance of Ashton Agar in Indian conditions:
Lehmann has urged Australia to take reference from their last outing in Pune, back in 2017, and continue to follow the trend of playing two-finger spinners in the starting 11 this time also. He advised the selectors to pick his fellow southpaw Ashton Agar as the second spinner in India along with Nathan Lyon, ahead of the likes of leggie Mitchell Swepson and talented uncapped off-spinner Todd Murphy.
Although Agar has only featured in five Test matches in his whole career and went wicketless during Australia’s most recent Test match against South Africa in Sydney, Lehmann believes that the conditions in the sub-continent will be favorable for the 29-year-old.
Left-arm spinners have a good track record of reaping rewards on the Indian subcontinent. One such name that emerges as a prime example is Axar Patel. So, Lehmann strongly opines that Ashton could prove to be the X-factor player that Australia will require, just like Stephen O’Keefe.
The highly anticipated four-test series between Australia and India gets underway on February 9, 2024, at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur.
Left-arm spinners from both teams wreaked havoc last week at the same location, taking a total of 23 wickets in a Ranji Trophy encounter between Vidarbha and Gujarat.
Aditya Sarwate of Vidarbha was the highlight of the evening with match-winning figures of 11/81 as they defeated Gujarat by 18 runs while defending the lowest Ranji Trophy score of 71.
Impact of a Finger Spinner over Wrist Spinner:
Lehmann on an Australian radio station stated, “I’m certainly more inclined to play finger spinners since I have already been there and am aware of the conditions on offer.”
The ball just moves through the air quicker, and although some deliveries spin, others do not. It just keeps the batters guessing and stuck in a dilemma as to which delivery of a finger spinner would turn and which would skid on and go straight. The leg spinners occasionally spin it too much.
Darren Lehmann said, “The selectors would be presumably eyeing a finger spinner for that reason. In one of the last Test matches there, Steve O’Keefe bowled India out basically on his own to help us win that four years ago, in 2017.”
“That’s why I’d be looking at someone like an Agar, who can be handy with the bat too, and contribute with the ball as that second spinner.”
He also believes that having the luxury of Swepson in the group will be crucial, should the situation warrant the inclusion of a leg-spinner at any point.
With only a limited 18 players to select, Lehmann continued, “I can’t believe there was talk of him (Swepson) not going; speak about the balance of the side; you want a very balanced group.”
“Usually, we just send 15 players over there. Since they have more spinners and more alternatives, they will undoubtedly figure out a way to win over there.
It appears to be a really strong squad. If it suits to play the leg-spinner as the second spinner, then good on him.”
World Test Championship Qualification Scenario:
The series in India will be essential in determining who finishes in the top two spots of the World Test Championship standings and earns a playoff position for the one-off championship decider at The Oval in June.
If we take a look at the standings of the World Test Championship 2021–2024 season, Australia currently has a healthy lead over second-placed India at the top of the table. But Sri Lanka and South Africa still have an outside chance of sneaking into this year’s final and can prove to be spoilsports for one of these teams.
In order to advance to the final, Lehmann’s former team only needs to avoid a 4-0 series whitewash in India. The former Australian coach is confident that the current Australian team has a well-balanced side to achieve a positive series result as well as get over the finish line comfortably.
Australia Test squad for the tour of India:
Pat Cummins (c), Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Lance Morris, Todd Murphy, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith (VC), Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner
Australia Tour of India 2024 Schedule:
February 9-13: First Test at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur
February 17-21: Second Test at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
March 1-5: Third Test at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala
March 9-13: Fourth Test at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
