The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Onus on the batsmen, say former players

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Onus on the batsmen, say former players

Principal Correspondent

HYDERABAD: Former Australian cricketers — Steve Rixon, Michael Bevan and Stuart Law — believe that the onus would be on the batsmen to come good if the Australians were to be a match-winning side in the Test series against India starting in Bangalore from October 9.

“The fate of the series will depend on the type of wickets prepared,” said Bevan in a chat with The Hindu.

“Matthew Hayden, Mike Hussey and Michael Clarke have to score heavily to support their bowlers on these Indian tracks,” he said.

“The pace attack looks good and can be formidable only if they have good totals to defend. Even an intelligent bowler like Stuart Clark will be effective on slow pitches only if his batsmen support the attack. And Mitchell Johnson with his slanting deliveries and reverse swing can be dangerous even on turning tracks,” he said.

Symonds’s absence

“The Aussie spinners may not have a big role to play given their inexperience,” added Bevan. “Symonds’s absence will be felt badly. He is a player who brings a dynamic element into any situation and is an excellent batsman against pace and spin,” he said. He was also confident that captain Ricky Ponting would come good in this series.

“It was a smart move by Cricket Australia to appoint Greg Chappell as assistant coach given his rich experience of working with the Indian team earlier.

It makes sense too as Greg can give invaluable inputs to the team members,” added Bevan.

Rixon, the former Australian wicketkeeper and coach of Hyderabad Heroes in the ICL, believes that India starts as favourite given the home advantage and also the fact that Australia is going through a tough transition phase.

“The preparations are good and the balance is there for the host while for Australians this is one of the most demanding challenges they had ever faced,” he added.

“For the Aussies, batting is the strong point and it all depends on how well it clicks,” Rixon said.

“I don’t think there is anything wrong with Ponting’s batting. It is all in the mind and one big knock could well make the difference to the whole series,” he said.

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