Exclusive: Nathan Lyon will have an impact in Border-Gavaskar Trophy, says renowned spin bowling coach Carl Crowe

Before any series in Australia, the opponents are warned about the pace and bounce. Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood call the shots on those pitches. Even in the fast lane, veteran off-spinner Nathan Lyon doesn't fail to create magic.

The 36-year-old has tricks for every kind of surface. He is Australia's highest wicket-taker in Perth and Adelaide with 27 (in four Tests) and 63 wickets (in 13 Tests) respectively.

The overspin magic

Ahead of the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia, renowned spin bowling coach Carl Crowe highlighted why Lyon is crucial for the hosts in the high-profile five-match series. "Nathan Lyon has that overspin on the ball consistently, when the ball lands, it kicks on and accelerates off the pitch. Good players haven't got the time to react to the ball. Spinners who can do that are at the elite level. That's why Lyon bowls well on flat pitches. He is always in the game and goes round the wicket in the first innings and over the wicket in the second," he told Sportsboom.com.

Lyon was the highest wicket-taker (23 in four Tests) in the 2014-15 BGT Down Under and joint-highest (21 in four) with Jasprit Bumrah in 2018-19. After India's poor show against New Zealand spinners, which led to a 0-3 whitewash at home, Lyon will be raring to unleash his variations on Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sarfaraz Khan. "His style of spin can adapt to fast pitches. He will have an impact against India," added Crowe, who won the Indian Premier League title earlier this year with Kolkata Knight Riders.

Rest for speedsters

As a coach, Crowe's specialisation is T20 cricket, but he has represented Leicestershire and Berkshire as a right-arm off-break bowler in the English County in 42 matches. He understands the importance of holding one end with accuracy. "The Australian seamers are one of the key factors. They need rest to come back and bowl sharp spells. Lyon bowls from one end for a longer period, allowing the fast bowlers to rest," said Crowe, who has worked closely with West Indies veteran Sunil Narine. His advice for India is to "knock Lyon off his length".

"A lot in the series depends on how Lyon performs. He has the experience and will be crucial," he added. 

Recently, top international batters have struggled against spin. Apart from the Indians, who lost 37 wickets to spin against the Kiwis, England succumbed to Pakistan (lost 40-odd wickets to spin in the final two Tests), while Sri Lanka thrashed New Zealand, where spinners accounted for 37 wickets in two Tests. 

"If you play a lot of one format and accelerate, your skills in the other format will take a hit," Crowe said that a packed T20 calendar could be the reason behind the ordeal.

"Recently, Sir Viv Richards spoke to our Caribbean Premier League team, Trinbago Knight Riders. He advised the batters to keep the good balls out even though he was talking about T20. He spoke of having a good defence.

"We are ultra-focussed on smacking the ball out of the park. Aggression is not always the answer. Finding a way to bat for long periods and counterattack at an appropriate time is," he added.

Crowe felt the batters need to understand how often their wicket gets threatened by spin in the practice sessions. "At the nets, the quality of training is important. The best players have a method to strive," said the 48-year-old whose current favourite spinners are Mitchell Santner, Noman Ali and Washington Sundar.