The wickets in India might be considered a spinner’s paradise but Australian fast bowler Peter Siddle feels his team’s chances of winning the upcoming Test series there would depend on how well its pacers perform on the dustbowls.
India were beaten at home by England, who relied on their spinners to wreck the famed the batting line-up of the hosts, but Siddle feels every team has to play to its strengths.
“The best way of attacking India is with whatever your best line-up is. The way we’ve won Test matches for years now has been with our pace and I think that is going to play a big role,” Siddle told ‘The Age’
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“But Nathan (Lyon) is going to play a big role at the other end, and his game is going to flourish even more with the pressure we build at our end.
“Combined, we’ll do well and definitely be able to take 20 wickets. We’re strong, we’ve got a good set of quicks going over and we’ve got good back-up for Nathan over there with spin,” he added.
The last time Australia won a Test series against India was in 2004. Siddle said to repeat that, the Aussie bowlers will have to be very consistent.
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“Trying to bowl as straight and be as patient as we can be. In India the games go a little bit slower because the wickets are hard to score on so it’s about patience, setting the right fields with your captain and bowling to your fields.
Our side is disciplined enough now to go about it in that way,” he said.
The first of four Tests starts in Chennai on February 22.
“You look back at the series results we’ve had over there and it has been hard work for us. It’s been a tough stomping ground.
“This is a new-look set-up, a new-look team and hopefully we can stamp our authority,” he said.
Siddle is among eight Australian players who left for India today. The rest of the nine players will depart on Saturday and Monday after the ongoing limited-overs series against the West Indies.
Talking about the team’s batsmen, Siddle said opener Phil Hughes will have a huge role to play.
“If we look at Phillip Hughes, the form he’s had since he came back into the Australian side, he showed he’d changed his game for the best,” Siddle told reporters here before the departure.
“His form in the one-dayers has been outstanding. If he can translate that over to the Indian conditions, which will be a little bit different, he’s the one.
“If he can get going and support Pup (Michael Clarke) and Davy (David Warner) and Watto (Shane Watson) we can get those big totals,” he said.
Talking about Australia’s old nemesis, Sachin Tendulkar, Siddle said his team would be on its guard against the senior batsman.
“He’s finished up one-day cricket and Twenty20 to concentrate on Tests so he’ll be looking to come out hard,” Siddle said.
“The last series over in Australia we got on top of him a bit but he’ll be looking to fire back. He’s going to be a tough contest but hopefully one we can get early enough more times than not,” he said.