New Australian batting coach opens up about doing well in India
Sep 17, 2016 at 12:10 PM
Former England batsman and first class legend Graeme Hick was named as Australia’s batting coach for the side’s upcoming limited-overs tour of South Africa. Hick’s appointment as the side’s batting coach comes in after a dire situation as the Australian batsmen were all at sea during their recent tour of Sri Lanka. The three match test series was just a nightmare, as none of the Aussie batsmen could cope with the rank turners prepared for the games.
The biggest worry for the Australians though will be the fact that their tour of India is barely a few months away. The last time Australia visited India, it was a complete one-sided contest as the Indian spinners mauled the Kangaroos. In an interaction with the press, Hick opened up about doing well in India and how the Australians could cope up with the challenge.
“Without a doubt, you go to India, you’re going to get their subcontinent wickets, you go to England now, certainly Trent Bridge and Headingley, they’re going to be swinging around, Edgbaston maybe as well,” said Hick. “So that’s the challenge to face and that’s what the players will prepare themselves for. “All the players will be able to reflect on that and think about how they could have played it differently. “That goes back to the mental side of it.”
Hick backed the Australian batsmen to adapt to the Indian conditions. “They manage to adapt and work it out themselves, in a way. “So I will just pose a few questions, challenge them a bit. And I think there’s a challenge there anyway, especially in regard to England and the Ashes – I don’t think they’ll need much motivation for that. “It’s about adapting to the conditions. I think at times the Australian way is to really dominate, especially in Test cricket. Maybe India is a place where you need a little more patience. “Let’s not forget it’s one of the hardest challenges in cricket. The teams that have been successful there recently have been due to guys who have made big runs up front,” the former England batsman added.
“So it’s a matter of if one of our top order gets in, just batting a couple of sessions maybe is not enough. “You’ve got to look at posting a big first-innings score if you get in, so that may require a little more patience than some players might normally play at,” Hick concluded.