Nagpur: Australia are planning to deploy a high-risk, heavy-hitting strategy to overcome India’s spin kings should the visitors be confronted with rank turners.
Under the captaincy of Steve Smith in 2017, Australia were told to trust their techniques and park their egos to counter the alien surfaces, but six years on a bold “attack is the best method of defence” approach is part of their planning.
Coach Andrew McDonald and his players have developed methods for the numerous scenarios they may encounter in the coming weeks.
Steve Smith checks the pitch during a training session at Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground in Nagpur, India. Credit:Getty Images
While Australia’s play against spin on the subcontinent has improved markedly since the debacles in Asia at the back end of Michael Clarke’s captaincy and the start of Smith’s reign, it remains their Achilles’ heel.
This week in Nagpur will be vital from the point of view of testing the players’ faith in their plans. For example, will Travis Head still have the courage to take the game on if he falls cheaply this week?
The need to bat big in the first innings remains central to Australia’s plans on flat tracks but if it turns they will not allow themselves to be sitting ducks for Ravinchandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel.
“In the first innings it depends on what the surface is doing: if there’s not a lot of natural variation and spin then you need to make really big scores and take some time out of the game, get some traffic on the wicket and the game will speed up at the back end,” Smith said.
“If it is spinning from ball one then it’s about having plans in place to be proactive against the spinners. You have to be scoring runs because one will have your name on it if you sit there and defend. You have to be proactive. That’s the way we’re looking at it, hopefully we can do that really well.”
Though Australia have shunned practice games to get acclimatised to the conditions in a match scenario, they have gone to great lengths to prepare themselves against Ashwin’s wiles to the point.
They have recruited an Ashwin “clone” in Mahesh Pithiya – a 21-year-old with four first-class games experience – who closely resembles the India great in his action and bowling.
Pithiya was part of their training camp in Bangalore last week and bowled in the nets in Nagpur on Tuesday.
Smith did not believe Australia had over-complicated their approach to Ashwin.
“He’s just another off-spinner. Mahesh bowls in a similar style to Ashwin, we’ve also had plenty of other off-spinners bowling to us as well. I don’t think we’re overthinking things,” Smith said.
“We know Ash is a very good bowler, particularly in these conditions, but all around the world. Of course, he will be a challenge for us, but hopefully, we have the tools in the kitbag to counter that.”
