Currently occupying No. 1 spot in the ICC Test rankings for teams, Australia are all set to tour India for a four-match Test series, starting next month.
Ahead of the prestigious Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Australia batter Matt Renshaw has acknowledged that veteran off-spinner R Ashwin will be one of the toughest bowlers to face.
With Australia’s batting line-up studded with left-handers, including David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Travis Head, wicketkeeper Alex Carey and Renshaw himself, Ashwin might pose a massive threat to the visitors during the high-profile Test series.
“Ashwin is difficult to face. He is a smart bowler with a lot of variations and he uses them very well, but you do get used to him once you’ve faced him for a while,” Renshaw was quoted as saying by Australian Associated Press on Wednesday (January 25).
“I think the big challenge from Ashwin and any off-spinner in spinning conditions to a left-hander is the lbw threat.”
Renshaw also issued a warning against Ashwin’s deliveries that don’t spin and cause a lot of LBW dismissals.
“Obviously everyone thinks about the one that turns and gets you caught at slip, but the big one is the lbw when it doesn’t spin. You just have to be ready for that one.
“I think two years batting at No.5 helped me with facing spin. I know my game a lot better now and I am a lot more comfortable in different situations,” he stated.
Notably, Australia have not won a Test series in India since 2004. Prior to that, they won a Test series on Indian soil way back in 1969.
However, Renshaw feels Australia have a ‘strong’ squad to script history this time around.
“We have a strong squad and it is going to be hard to push my way in, but I know that I will be ready if I do get a chance.”
Renshaw said his Big Bash League (BBL) stint with Brisbane Heat was helping him prepare for the series as the side featured spinners like Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Kuhnemann and Marnus Labuschagne.
“The SG ball is a bit different, so we are just trying to prepare as well as we can during this BBL schedule if we get a window to hit red balls,” said Renshaw.
“It is a lot different conditions in India, so we are trying to replicate them as much as we can. The plan was if (the Heat) got knocked out we’d do some prep with the (Australian) team in Sydney, but we just kept winning and are in the (BBL) finals now.
“We have got a good week and a bit in India before the first Test, so there will be plenty of time to prepare there as well,” he added.
(With PTI Inputs)
