As the last man to orchestrate a rare Australian Test victory in India, Steve O’Keefe has three simple pieces of advice for the current touring team: beware the ambush, be ready to pounce, and bat big.
O’Keefe retains a remarkable place in Test history thanks to what he believes was an ambush gone wrong on a wildly spinning pitch. He claimed match figures of 12-70 during the first Test in Pune on the 2017 tour, the best an Australian bowler has achieved in India. Despite that early victory, Australia lost the series 2-1.
“I think they went the sucker punch first-up where they could get ahead in the series,” O’Keefe told the Herald and The Age.
The first Test of this four-match series begins on February 9 in Nagpur, which last hosted Tests in 2015 and 2017 against South Africa and Sri Lanka. Both were dominated by India’s quality off-spinner Ravi Ashwin.
O’Keefe believes that this touring squad is better placed than the 2017 team to achieve what Australia has managed just twice since 1969: win a series in India.
“I’m so bullish about this team,” he said. “A lot of those guys who are part of that (2017) experience would have learned so much from that. At times we got close, and the next time becomes a little bit easier. I believe that is going to be the case this time.
Steve O’Keefe celebrates a wicket for Australia.Credit:AP
“We’re going over with a strong batting group who play spin really well. Marnus (Labuschagne) hasn’t played over there but is a good player of spin, we’ve seen that already. Cameron Green is elite, so I feel this group is strong.”
In 2017 Australia won that low-scoring Pune Test thanks to O’Keefe and a brilliant century from Steve Smith in difficult conditions.
“The pitch spun a great deal,” O’Keefe said. “Steve played an amazing innings.”
“It’s just interesting over there, you’ve just got to get ahead of the game, and it’s very hard to get ahead in India. But that’s the key.
“They very rarely give you an opportunity. And when you can sniff it, you’ve got to take full advantage of it. You’ve got to try and find a way to accelerate the game, so you’re so far ahead of them that they’re coming from well behind.”
India made better pitches for the remaining three Tests in 2017, which deteriorated as the game went on and wore the Australians out. Pune is the only victory Australia have achieved in India across 14 Tests on their past four tours.
Little wonder that during the past decade, India have lost just two of 42 Tests at home.
Australia started the second Test well in Bangalore, bowling India out for 189, but failed to capitalise with a big lead and lost by 75 runs, then failed to bat big again during the third Test in Ranchi, grinding out a draw.
“Ranchi we made 450 and it didn’t seem like enough,” O’Keefe said. “It needed to be 650. We felt like we were 200 short there. And then they make 600 and we’re just trying to save the game.
“Personally the tour just wore me down by the fourth Test. I’m not proud to admit it. I was a bit burnt out. I invested a lot of energy in the three games up to that point, bowling 77 overs in an innings in Ranchi.
“These guys just break you down mentally, physically, not by playing big shots and taking the game away from you, but by just slowly chipping away getting singles, getting off strike, their forward defence seemed impenetrable.
“At times, you’re like ‘I can’t see a way of getting past…’ These guys were just bulletproof in their defence and had a way of manipulating the scoreboard to keep it moving, keep getting off strike and at times it felt like whatever plans you had were a bit redundant.
“Specific plans are more pitch related. It was more about how they approach the game, which was at times with a defensive mindset. That’s all they needed to do.”
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