Australian wicketkeeper batsman Alex Carey on Saturday (January 11) expressed his desire to fine-tune the art of taking the games deep and finishing them off just like MS Dhoni has done it for India over many years.
“I still have lots of areas in my game I want to improve on and get better at. I know I will probably bat middle to lower order so it’s trying to finish games off for Australia. When you look at the best in the world like MS Dhoni, you want to learn as much as you can from him,” Carey told reporters ahead of the first ODI against India in Mumbai.
“I was lucky enough to play against him (Dhoni) last year, just the way he took the game deep and won the games for India. I aspire to do that one-day,” he added.
Carey, 28, also acknowledged that the series against India will be a tough one, especially facing the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami.
“Coming back to India, you know it is going to be a tough contest through the middle. We will probably have lots of spin through the middle and then at the end with world-class bowlers like (Jasprit) Bumrah and (Mohammad) Shami.
“It’s just about keeping it simple and playing my role. It’s about wicket-keeping and playing middle to lower order. Three very tough games of cricket coming up for us and what a way to start in Mumbai,” he remarked.
Carey feels he will bat lower down the order in three ODIs against India as the visitors boast some world-class talents at the top.
“I’m not too fazed where I come in. It’s going to be a lot of the time dependent on situation of the game. Hopefully your No.5, 6 or 7 come in later in the innings and if I’m batting in one of those spots I am happy enough to do that.
“We have some world-class players in the top with (Aaron) Finch, (David) Warner, (Steve) Smith and Marnus Labuschagne is playing so well. Peter Handscomb had a great series here last year. I see myself coming in anywhere for 5 to 7.
“I had opportunities in the World Cup to take it a bit deeper – one against South Africa stands out to me – to be that match winner,” he said.
Australia had clinched the five-match ODI series 3-2 in India last year, and Carey expects his team to improve upon their performance this time around.
“These are some really tough conditions over here playing in India and some exciting challenges in the next week. Me personally and the rest of the boys are really determined to back up the series we had last year,” he said.
Carey also said Australia in the past have shown that they are good enough to compete in Indian conditions.
“It’s going to be some great, tough cricket coming up. We’ve got some world-class players in Warner, Smith, Marnus is coming off lots of runs, and Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, so I don’t think we need to doubt our abilities. We’ve shown in the past we’re good enough over here,” he concluded.
(With PTI inputs)
