Australian captain Pat Cummins admitted that his spinners, including Nathan Lyon, who are used to bowling on bouncy Australian pitches, are not proving as effective due to the downward bounce on Indian pitches. Spinner Todd Murphy, who made his Test debut for Australia, took seven wickets in the first Test but Lyon got only one wicket. At the same time, India’s Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja destroyed the Australian batting to give India an innings and 132-run victory.
Cummins said before the second Test, “In the last match we saw that the ball was bouncing downwards, which required a change in bowling technique.” The close fielders never felt that the ball would bounce because there was no bounce. “He said,” There was a need to bowl by changing the angle. I think the bowlers did well. A little change will improve the performance.” Pitches in the western parts of India are made on red clay while in northern India there is black clay.
Cummins said that even though the color of the soil has changed, there will not be much change in the pitch. He said, “I don’t think so. The soil is different here but the pitch looks the same. It will be helpful for the spinners. Let’s see.” He also said that experienced Ashton Agar and left-arm spinner Matt Kunnemann could get a chance in the second Test. Cummins said, “We have kept both options open. We are sure of a good show here. Both have practiced a lot in the last few seasons and one of them can be fielded for the third spinner.
The Australian captain also said that opener David Warner will have to counter-attack as that is where he does his best. Asked whether Warner would be dropped, he said, “I am not a selector.” I don’t think they have had any meeting but I am sure Warner will play. This year also in the Boxing Day Test, he put pressure on the opposing team.
