Steve O’ Keefe credits Sridharan Sriram for his bowling heroics

Steve O’ Keefe credits Sridharan Sriram for his bowling heroics

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Australia left-arm spinner Steve O'Keefe thanked spin consultant Sridharan Sriram for his inputs after his game-changing six-wicket haul in the first innings of the ongoing opening Test against India in Pune. O'Keefe also lauded skipper Steven Smith for the faith he had in the bowler's ability.

"Monty's (Panesar) been excellent when I got to work with him. It was only two days, but he instilled a bit of belief in what I was doing and it was good to chat with him. I think the biggest influence has been Sri (Sriram). I've worked with him in Chennai in the 'A' series. I come on the field, I get to speak with him, he's a local so he knows the conditions. I get to spend lunch time bowling with him. And he understands how to bowl in these conditions. How the batters are thinking. He has been the biggest help along with the other coaching staff,” O'Keefe told a news conference after the day's play.

Sriram was a promising left-arm spinner in his junior days but went on to represent the country in a handful of One-Day Internationals as a batting all-rounder.

O'Keefe returned career-best figures of 6 for 35 to bowl out India for a paltry 105 to hand the visitors a first inning lead of 155 runs.

"I've got a good coach who tapped me on the head in between sessions and he's not afraid to tell it to your face and tell it to you straight, which is excellent. I think, Sri , is an excellent spin-bowling coach. I've worked with him a couple times now and he's really impressive, so that's really helped me I think."

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