India bowling can deliver 2nd straight series win Down Under: Manjrekar
NEW DELHI: The Indian bowling atack is competent enough to help the visitors register their consecutive Test series win Down Under, avers former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar.
India had registered their first-ever Test series win Down Under during their last tour of Australia in 2018-19.
However, Manjrekar believes that Virat Kohli’s men will face stiffer opposition this time around following the return of Steve Smith and David Warner, who were not part of the 2018-19 series as they were undergoing a ban for their involvement in the ball-tampering scandal.
“Australia’s Test team will be stronger than it was on India’s previous tour. The experience of Smith and Warner will add muscle to the Aussie side but I believe India’s bowling atack is ready to have their names carved in the history of Indian cricket by winning a consecutive series Down Under,” Manjrekar was quoted as saying in a media release.
Former fast bowler Zaheer Khan also agreed with Manjrekar and said: “Now with the return of Steve Smith and David Warner to the Australian side, the Indian team is definitely going to face a stiffer competition than their previous tour Down Under.”
However, he feels there won’t be any favourites going into the series as both sides have quality bating and bowling line-up in their squad.
“Australian pitches have always had good bounce and pace, so I think the area which will decide the ODIS, T20IS and Tests will be the bowlers and how well the team bowls as a unit to restrict the opponent to a lower total on the scoreboard,” Khan said.
Meanwhile, former Australia fast bowler Glenn Mcgrath feels that the current Indian team has the confidence of playing in Australian conditions and they know how to do it as they’ve been successful here in the last tour.
“Any series between these two cricketing giants is always a spectacle to watch as it is one of the fiercest rivalries in modern-day cricket. The Indian cricket team will face a much tougher Australian team now that Smith and Warner are back but the Indian team is equally strong with an aggressive mentality and determination to win the series,” said Mcgrath.
LYON EYES 500: Meanwhile, Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon has loty plans to join a select few greats to snare 500 Test wickets, with India the next team in his sights.
Lyon, who turned 33 on Friday, currently has 390 scalps, behind only Shane Warne (708) and Glenn Mcgrath (563) on the Australian pecking order.
Sri Lankan legend Mutiah Muralitharan holds the all-time record with 800.
Despite Mitchell Swepson knocking on the door -- and in Australia’s 17-man Test squad to face India -- Lyon remains his side’s main spin option and he has no plans to relinquish it.
“I still feel I’m geting beter and still feel like I’ve got a lot of cricket to offer cricket Australia,” he said in a Q&A with News Corp. readers late Thursday.
“Definitely 500 (wickets) and beyond is on my radar.”
Lyon will reach the 100-Test milestone against India in Brisbane should he, as expected, play the preceding Tests in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney, starting on Dec.17.
KOHLI GETS LAXMAN’S SUPPORT: On the issue of paternity leave, India captain Virat Kohli has received the support of former India batsman VVS Laxman, who missed the birth of his first child while touring South Africa with the Indian team in 2006-07, but missed a few Ranji Trophy matches to be with his wife at the time of their daughter’s birth a couple of years later.
“I believe you have to respect that. Yes, ultimately you are a professional cricketer but you are also a family man, and you also respect what is good for your family and what is good for your family. So, I believe we have to respect that decision. It is a very important phase of your life,” Laxman, 46, added.