The much-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy is only a few weeks away, and the Australians have begun devising strategies to counteract the difficulty of playing in the subcontinent. Former Australian wicketkeeper-batter Adam Gilchrist has counselled Pat Cummins and his teammates to be more cautious rather than too aggressive.
Australia will go to the subcontinent to play India in a crucial Test series that will determine WTC points. Despite being on the edge of qualifying for the WTC final, they will be apprehensive of the difficulty of playing in Indian conditions. The Australian selection committee has chosen four specialist spinners for the forthcoming trip in order to strengthen their bowling options.
“What we tried to change with our mentality back then – and I’d be interested to see if the Australians do it this time – is don’t go searching and just rolling spinners out there. Attack the stumps right from ball one. Swallow your pride a bit, be defensive to be aggressive… Start with one slip, start with a catching mid-wicket, put fielders out on the boundary to nullify the boundary option, but keep a couple of catchers in place – either at short cover or short mid-wicket – and just be patient,” Gilchrist said.
The Australian legend advised Pat Cummins to avoid relying on fresh faces and instead stick with his experienced bowlers. Gilchrist believes that teams often attempt to introduce new players as mystery bowlers, which often backfires since it is tough to adjust to Indian conditions.
