India face Australia in the Boxing Day Test which begins December 26
Australian pacer Mitchell Starc admitted that it's the tailenders who try and stick around in the middle, causing the Indian attack to bowl more overs. It has been the Australian tail that has contributed crucial runs, which has troubled the Indian attack in the two Tests that have been played so far.
Starc said that the tail takes a lot of pride in scoring runs and the compelling partnerships that keep the Indian attack on their toes.
“It’s something our tail takes a lot of pride in. And then with the ball, we’re trying to do the exact opposite for them and try to get them out really quickly. Those partnerships make India bowl a lot more overs and then the other three of us we just try and hang around a bit and score a few runs and face a few balls,” ICC quoted Starc, as saying.
"It’s something that we all work really hard at and we have done for a long time. Pat [Cummins] is obviously fantastic at No.8. He plays a bit more like a batter than the other three of us. He can bat for long periods of time. It just showed in Adelaide [in the first Test] how many balls he can face and really he looks comfortable at the crease,” he added.
Starc lauded Nathan Lyon's performance and felt that his presence makes the job a lot more easier for the rest of the seamers. Australia went with four bowlers in the first two Tests (Adelaide & Perth) - three pacers and a spinner. Starc felt that three seamers and a spinner is the right combination, which worked well for the team.
“Whether we go with five bowlers or four ... you’ve got Nathan Lyon there doing as well as he has done for a long time. It makes our job a lot easier because he’ll bowl a lot of overs and he’ll either not go for runs or he’ll keep taking wickets so for the other three of us to come on at the other end - if it’s just four of us - it’s something we’ve done for a while now,” he said.
“We’ve done it for NSW [New South Wales], done it over the years as a group of four. We’re probably a few of the more experienced guys in the group now. We’ve learnt along the way and it’s fantastic the last two weeks how we’ve gelled together again as a group of four,” he added.
India, on the other hand, dropped a spin specialist for the Perth Test, which had its separate repercussions. On a rather tricky surface, the Indian attack were taken for a ride, with the batsmen barring Kohli, failing to produce runs.
Australia levelled the four-match series 1-1 after winning the 2nd Test in Perth by 146 runs. The two nations will face each other in the boxing day Test which starts December 26.
