CHENNAI: The Indian in the Australian ranks, Sridharan Sriram is pleased with the way the team is playing at the moment. The former international has been their spin consultant for a while, especially for assignments in the subcontinent. The former batsman, who started as a left-arm spinner, says his team is upbeat after the T20 series win and expects them to carry the momentum into the ODI series.
“It’s special for any team to win an away series these days, especially in India where it is so tough,” said Sriram in an exclusive chat. When the Australian team landed in India, few expected them to outsmart the hosts. But the way they fought and won the last T20 in Bengaluru showed they mean business.
“The main positive would be winning and closing out tight games, which builds a lot of confidence. That is a big plus,’’ revealed Sriram. With the World Cup a few months away and pitches in England likely to be similar to that of India, many believe that every game here is an opportunity for teams to prepare for the big one.
“Playing India and Pakistan before the World Cup is great preparation for the team.” With the advent of T20s, heavy bats and smaller boundaries, it has become important to score big since no total is safe anymore. Is the Aussie batting unit capable of posting 300-plus regularly? “It depends on conditions these days and once the team has the skill and well defined roles (for players), you can go about it accordingly,’’ said an optimistic Sriram.
All teams are opting for wrist spinners these days because of the fact that they offer more variations. How does Sriram rate Australia’s resources? “We have a definite role in mind for our spinners and we are confident that they can execute those plans.” Sometime back, former Australia captain Allan Border during a chat with this newspaper had said that the sweep shot was one of the best ways to counter spin. Does Sriram think it is indispensable? “Again, while playing spin, no one shot is important. Having an all-round game is what one should work towards.’