We may have to 'play ugly' to do well against India, says Nathan Lyon
© Getty Images
Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon has said that the upcoming India series will test them physically and mentally needing them to play ugly to score runs in the four-Test series. Lyon also said that the Aussies need to be patient in order to climb the “biggest mountain” in world cricket.
Australia toured India back in 2013 and were whitewashed 0-4 in the four-match Test series. Being one of the four players in Australia's current squad to have the experience of touring India, Nathan Lyon terms that the upcoming series in February is going to be a test both mentally and physically.
"Recent history tells us that over the past 10 years India has lost just four of 49 Tests at home - two to South Africa and two to England. Touring there tests you physically and mentally. It puts every area of your skill and resilience under the microscope. To stand up and play well in India is to announce yourself as a world class team and that is what we want to do,” Lyon wrote in a column for Sydney Morning Herald on Thursday.
"We may have to play ugly to score runs and take wickets. Captain Steve Smith talked about adapting to the conditions," he added.
The 29-year old also wrote about his previous experience of playing on the Indian pitches saying that the matches start slowly but tend to end very quickly.
“The most important thing I found when I toured there four years ago was adjusting to the type of wickets we'll be playing on. They're going to be spin-friendly but India's batsmen are probably the best players of spin in the world, so we're going to have to be patient. In India, Test matches tend to start slowly but they can speed up very quickly. It's about hanging in there and trying to win the big moments throughout the day," the off-spinner wrote.
He also felt that the experience of touring Sri Lanka in mid-2016 will give the new members of the team some experience about the sub-continental conditions.
"Most of our new-look team have never played a Test in India. With all the recent changes only Steve Smith, David Warner, Matt Wade and myself are survivors from 2013. Seven of us remain from last year's tour of Sri Lanka, which presented similar conditions.
"But there is an energy and a belief in this young group which we saw during the second half of the summer. The way they play their natural game gives me the confidence we can climb cricket's biggest mountain," Lyon wrote.
