Just a few days left before India start their long home season by taking on Australia first at Chennai on 17th September. Whenever these biggies fight it out in the 22 yards it’s something epic to witness. This time it had got more edge as the team winning will lead the ICC ODI ranking table.
No doubt India has been terrific recent times with scintillating performance but former Australian pace bowler Gillespie thinks that Australia can make a mark and easily defeat Virat Kohli and co on Indian soil.
There is a lot of sledging that goes around when India and Australia clash. In an exclusive interview to TOI, Gillespie who is now the coach of Papua New Guinea said the Australians should “not engage” in verbal battles or “staring competitions” with Kohli but try to get the Indian skipper out of his comfort zone with “disciplined” bowling.
When asked about what should be the plan for the Indian Skipper, he said, “Kohli is an amazing player. Once the field spreads, he can bat safely. I don’t think Australia need to get into a verbal battle or get into staring competitions with Kohli. The best way to put him under pressure is through disciplined bowling. I would like to see the Aussie quicks bowl bouncers throat-high to get him on the back foot, make him thinking about it. The follow-up ball remains the key. Make him come forward inviting the drive. If there is movement off the wicket or in the air, then the edge comes into play. Maybe they can bowl on the stumps with two catchers on the on-side. It’s about getting him out of his comfort zone.”
Australian pace lineup got weakened as Starc, Hazlewood would be missing the game due to injuries. “Starc is Australia’s premier fast bowler in ODIs. It’s unfortunate that he is not part of the series. But I feel the others can do the job. I don’t expect Cummins to play every ODI. Maybe two-three out of the five. Coulter-Nile could play as many games as possible. I know the selectors think highly of Coulter-Nile because he bowls fast and hits the pitch hard. Hopefully, he can perform well in India.” he added.
He also said that Indian bowlers have an edge on the subcontinent. Also the bowlers Shami, Yadav, Bhuvneshwar, Jasprit Bumrah looks in good form. It will be interesting to watch the epic clash.
