Australia rope in uncapped Indian spin duo to tackle Yasir-Shadab threat

Australia is a side that is undergoing a transition after the ‘Sandpapergate’ fiasco earlier this year. The team has looked a shadow of their former self without skipper Steve Smith and David Warner. As per recent reports from Wisden Australia, the Australian backroom staff has roped in uncapped Indian wrist spinning pair of Pardeep Sahu and KK Jiyas ahead of the upcoming Test series against Pakistan. The two spinners have been brought along by Sridharan Sriram, a former Indian cricketer who acts as a consultant to the Australian cricket team to help tackle the wrist-spinning threat of Pakistan’s Yasir Shah and Shadab Khan.

“In the past, we’ve probably come into the series, worked hard on spin but not specifically on their bowling, what deliveries they bowl, and the cues to watch as batters. We’ve been lucky enough to get a couple of guys to come in, very good spin bowlers.

“The big focus is obviously that they’ve got two star leg-spinners. Yasir Shah, who we’ve played before, obviously a great player. And Shadab Khan, who’s been playing and we expect in the line-up. We’ve got a contest against those two guys, we’re having good discussions about it – different deliveries, what to watch (and so on),” seasoned pacer, Peter Siddle, told Wisden.com.

The last time Australia traveled to the UAE to play Pakistan, Yasir notched up 12 wickets in the two Tests while Zulfikar Babar, the left-arm spinner, bagged 14. While Indian duo, Sahu and Jiyas, might not quite be at the level of their counterparts, but they are well aware of the nuances of the wrist spin to help the Australians. Sahu, a 33-year-old from Haryana, has played 13 first-class games, while Jiyas is a 26-year-old left-arm wrist-spinner from Kerala.

“It’s been good for us tail-enders as well to hear from different batters, the way they go about it, the way they watch the ball. It’s nice to hear from them and it gives us something to work on in the nets, and I definitely think it’s helped me personally, and the other guys will definitely learn a lot from it,” Siddle added.

“They’re experienced and they’re very good bowlers in their own right. They’re putting in a good contest in the nets, they’re bowling a lot of overs. They’ve been able to jump in and give us little tips on their ideas and the different types of deliveries that they have, what to watch and what to look out for. It’s definitely helping the batters in this group, they’ve learnt a lot in the couple of days they’ve got to work with them,” Siddle added.