Last Updated: February 15, 2023, 15:46 IST
If India has Ravichandran Ashwin, then Australia has Nathan Lyon. Both are world-class players but. Ashwin was perhaps the one person whom Australia has noticed the most in the lead-up to the tournament. And why not? On the tricky pitches in India, Ashwin’s turn can be the most dangerous thing for the team management and especially its batters. Ashwin has been the game-changer for India in the first Test match as he went onto take a fifer in the second innings of the Test match.
With 457 wickets, Ashwin is the country’s second-highest wicket-taker in Tests, and with each match, his string of records only continue ton grow. Against Australia in the series opener of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Nagpur, Ashwin grabbed the 31st five-wicket-haul of his Test career to finish with 5/37 as the wily off-spinner spun India to an innings victory.
Perhaps that was the reason, Lyon had been studying him a lot and that left his wife in some discomfort. Speaking to Star Sports, Lyon spoke highly of Ashwin, revealing that he did a deep study of the India spinner before landing in the country, something he considers an integral part of his learning process.
“I’m not going to pin myself against Ash. I think the way Ashwin has gone about it has been remarkable and his record speaks for himself. To be honest, I am a totally different bowler to Ash. Have I have sat down and watched a lot of footage of Ashwin before coming over here? Yes, a 100 percent. I’ve spent a lot of time sitting at home in front of the laptop, driving my wife mad. It’s all about learning. The best thing about this game is that we are constantly learning, trying to grow and get better by watching your opposition and that’s one of the biggest learning curves,” Lyon said.
“There’s a lot of talk. Lots he has taught me about. Sitting down and speaking to him, there’s been a lot that he’s taught me and that’s just not for here but even in Australia. There’s a couple of skillsets that Ash has which I would like to develop. That’s why I feel like I can still get better. So that’s what’s driving me,” he said.
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