The Australian skipper, Steve Smith, has challenged his deputy David Warner to score runs on tour to India, which starts on February 23, with the first Test to be played at Pune.
Australian players have always struggled in India. as most batters have been seen dancing to the tunes of spinners. The Australian team is wary of this fact and has been taking every measure to deal with this issue.
They were seen struggling in Sri Lanka recently where the Australian batting line-up crumbled in front of Sri Lankan spinners, as Sri Lanka won a series against Australia after a period of 17 years.
A meticulous skipper, Steve Smith, has already started distributing plans for the series, especially to his deputy David Warner, as he said,
“It’s pretty important that our senior players step up in those conditions, it’s something we didn’t do overly well in Sri Lanka and we didn’t get the results that we wanted there. I’m going to do it differently to Davey, you don’t want to get rid of someone’s natural flair and the way they play. But if he gets to a hundred it might be about knuckling down again and going big, get 200 or 300, like Karun Nair did a few weeks ago.”
“Those are the big scores that set your team up, so we are just being hungry and willing to keep going and not let up. I think we’ve been guilty in the past of saying ‘a ball’s going to have your name on it, so get them before one gets you’. To be honest with you, it’s rubbish.
“I think if your defence is good and you back that, then the one that’s got your name on it generally spins past the bat or does too much. So get that out of your mind, it’s not going to be said again – it’s going to be about backing your defence and making sure you can bat for long enough. Everyone in our team has got the shots, but get yourself in, things get easier, and then be willing to go big.”
David Warner, last year, led his IPL team Sunrises Hyderabad to a title win defeating the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final of the tournament. David Warner had a pretty efficient role to play as the left-handed aggressive batsman scored 848 runs in 17 games.
Other than that, Steve Smith also stated that Steve O’Keefe, their frontline bowler will be a big asset for the team,
“He was a big loss for us in Sri Lanka, he looked like taking a wicket every ball, and he has worked with Sri from India who understands how to bowl in those conditions as well, understands the different arm angles, seam positions and paces you have to bowl on those wickets. That’s a big plus. If we’re going to have success on this tour, he’s going to be a big part of it.”
O’Keefe showed promise during his short stay in Sri Lanka last year before he was ruled out of the series due to an injury. He was pulled out of the Big bash League to prepare him for the India series. O’Keefe will have a great to play in the series ad he might emerge as the pick of the Australian team in the series as well.