Veterans remind selectors of Australia’s winning strategy in past Quicks ‘key’ in India

THE last touring Aussies to tame India on the subcontinent have implored selectors not to get lost in the idea that spinners are the only way to victory.

Both Justin Langer and Jason Gillespie, members of the Adam Gilchrist led group which broke a 39-year drought with a 2-1 series victory in 2004, pointed to pace as a key to Aussie success.

Gillespie was the leading Aussie wicket-taker on that tour with 20, while his pace at- tack partners Glenn McGrath and Michael Kasprowicz took another 23 between them using reverse swing and a special “Indian line” to stem the tide of local runs.

Langer, now coach of the Australian Twenty20 side, hoped that this touring team, with four spinners in the squad, continued to play to its strengths.

Langer said selectors needed to make sure swing and seam was not under-represented and left just to spearheads Mitch Starc and Josh Hazlewood when the first Test gets under way in Pune on Thursday.

“Our fast bowlers had the big impact,” he said. “I just wonder whether we are taking the right approach.

“Our success was based on fast bowling. Indians don’t tend to play good fast bowling as well as they play spin.

“The way Jason Gillespie, Glenn McGrath and Michael Kasprowicz bowled was the difference in the series, and the result.

“You’ve got to work out what your strengths are and the strategy you think will win a game and a series, and that varies from location to location. If you don’t have a strategy you are pretty much dead, aren’t you?

“It depends on what they do with the third and fourth (bowling) spots, whether they go with spin. Their strategy in Sri Lanka (where the Aussies lost 3-0 last October) was to go with spinners. But if I was the Australian team I wouldn’t underestimate the importance of bowling reverse swing and fast to the Indians.”

Batsman Simon Katich was thrown in to the tough number three position in 2004 after skipper Ricky Ponting broke his thumb before the tour, and missed the first three Tests.

He agreed with Langer that the pace bowlers were “huge” but also pointed to big first innings runs as being crucial.

“Generally, the first two days of most Tests in India they are very good batting wickets and then the game speeds up at the back end when they do start to deteriorate and keep low or there are footmarks or it starts to spin big once they really dry out,” he said.