Veteran Australia spinner Nathan Lyon may have claimed a single wicket in his 30 overs on Day 3 of the fourth Test against India, but he feels his effort in Ahmedabad was way better than his 11-wicket haul on a rank turner during the third Test in Indore.
On a flat track at the Narendra Modi Stadium, India ended the third day at 289/3, trailing the visitors by 191 runs in the first innings.
“It’s more of a patient game. When the pitch is like Indore… I felt like I bowled better today than what I did in Indore. And it’s just coming down to doing your basics well enough for long enough,” Lyon said after the third day’s play.
According to the off-spinner, Tests like these are decided in the last half an hour and right now it is hanging in balance.
“Where are we in the game? I think it’s pretty even to be honest with you, we know in this part of the world, games can speed up quite quickly, so it’s about being patient for long periods of time and not chasing the game,” he said.
With two days remaining, Nathan Lyon is confident that the fourth Test will produce result.
“Tomorrow is a new day. We had (89 overs) on that wicket today. With the warmer weather here hopefully there’s still a result in this game. We’ve just got to bowl well in the morning and get the pressure in their change room,” he opined.
Last year, the Aussies were in a similar situation in the third Test against Pakistan and they managed to beat the hosts on the final day in Lahore.
“Yeah 100 per cent,” Lyon said. “These are the type of Test matches that are won in the last half an hour of day five, and these are the type of Test matches you want to be a part of. The hard grind with a potential great reward at the end of it. They’re challenging, but we’re all up for a challenge, and it’s a proper grind, good Test cricket.”
Lyon also heaped praise on India opener Shubman Gill, who scored 128 to keep the home team in the contest.
“I felt the way Shubman played was exceptional to be honest. His defence was there but he was also quite proactive and wanted to look to score.
“That one I got him out was probably a little bit flatter, a little bit faster than what he was expecting. So a decent ball on my behalf, but I thought the way he went about it was pretty special. His second Test hundred and he looked quite comfortable and confident with the way he was going about it. He’s definitely a special player.”
(With PTI Inputs)
