Johnson's absence won't affect our team: Haddin

Australian vice-captain and wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, who played some big knocks at the Chinnaswamy Stadium during the 2011 World Cup, thinks with the new fielding restriction rule, teams cannot say what is a big total and what is not.

Australian vice-captain and wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, who played some big knocks at the Chinnaswamy Stadium during the 2011 World Cup, thinks with the new fielding restriction rule, teams cannot say what is a big total and what is not.

Asked if with fielding restrictions and flat pitches, the bowlers were feeling shattered, Haddin said: “That’s your assumption that everybody was shattered. From our point of view, our bowlers were in a good space. With these rules we’re just sort of feeling out what is a good score and what’s not. The more you play, you’ll get more trends and patterns to see what is a good target.”

With Mitchell Johnson being pulled out, does Australia’s priority lie with Ashes? “No. From our point of view I think this is a fitting way to conclude this series. It’s two-all going into the last game, so it’s a very exciting game. Mitch has been monitored like every other player and we thought it was in his best interests to go home and get right for the two four-day games and put himself up to be available for selection for the Ashes,” Haddin felt.

“These decisions aren’t a shock to us. We’ve known about this for a while and as we’ve said before, all players are monitored,” he added.

“We’ve got guys like Nathan Coulter-Nile and Moises Henriques who have been on the sidelines for the entire tour. They’re ready to go. We’ve got enough to cover,” he added.

On the Australians playing exceptionally against Indian spinners, Haddin said: “I think it’s just the way the game’s panned out. The way the field restrictions are at the moment,  it allows free scoring during the middle of the game and with the powerplays leading into the back end of the game. I think that’s been a big reason for why the spinners have gone for more runs than they normally would’ve.

“It’s a big game. These are the games you want to be part of. It’s obviously a high pressure game, with a lot of stake – the series is on the line. Guys can continue to perform well at this level and games like this do hold a lot of weight leading into a big series like an Ashes campaign,” Haddin added.

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The New Indian Express
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