Gautam Gambhir World Cup column: Australia's batsmen could be dangerous against India

Australia’s love for history and tradition is well-known and very well documented. The tradition to wear Baggy Green caps on first day of a Test match, having a dedicated team song.

They could have done well by adding one more blast from the past -- Nathan Lyon. I think the Aussies missed a trick here by not including a highly skilful, loopy and the traditional off-spinner like him in their World Cup squad.

Lyon last played an ODI in the 2019 World Cup semifinal against England. There he was pinched off 49 runs in 5 overs and went wicket-less. At 35, Lyon could have been a huge asset on Indian pitches. As a captain, I would have loved to be armed with his accuracy and bounce during those middle overs. I remember Lyon was not letting Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma step out earlier this year in Test matches. Not only that, in a long, high-profile tournament like World Cup his experience would have been handy for Pat Cummins. Plus Lyon is a typical Aussie cricketer. He is bloody competitive, may be more so because he doesn’t need an IPL contract!!!

Lyon’s absence hits me harder when I notice the venues where Aussies will be playing. They start today in Chennai, then play two games in Lucknow which during IPL earlier this year was a paradise for slow bowlers. Having said that the recently finished UP cricket league had some real batting-friendly pitches. Post that they also play in Ahmedabad, Pune and Mumbai. Lyon and Adam Zampa bowling in tandem could have been effective for the former world champions. The reasons may be forced but if India could have gone back to R Ashwin, Aussies too could have got Lyon in the mix.

For India, the worries are slightly different. I read that Gill is down Dengue and is doubtful today against Australia. His place should go to Ishan Kishan to open with Rohit. Virat Kohli continues at three followed by Shreyas Iyer at four, KL Rahul at number five and Hardik Pandya at number six. On paper, this lineup looks promising for India and intimidating for the opposition. Ravinder Jadeja, R Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav are my three spinners followed by Mohammad Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah. I’d recommend to all the fans that look to back your bowlers as they are the ones who will get the Cup home while batsmen will play the supporting role.

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