AHMEDABAD: Nathan Lyon’s first two wickets in India — his first innings, really — showcased what kind of a spinner he was going to be. He got a lovely loop and wasn't afraid to give the ball lots of air and revs. He also used his shoulder effectively so he extracted extra bounce.
His first innings at Chennai saw him castle Sachin Tendulkar through the gate — a dream off-spinner's delivery — before accounting for Virat Kohli whose lofted shot failed to clear mid-on. In the second innings, the strip's natural variation meant he found Virender Sehwag's outside edge. In terms of figures, though, it wasn't flash. At the time, it was the sixth most runs conceded in an innings (215 across 47 overs) in the 21st century.
Over time, he has polished his wicket-taking ability to become one of the most lethal bowlers to have toured India. While R Ashwin and Nathan Lyon have often been clubbed together as they are both finger-spinners, they are two very different bowlers. In its essence, Ashwin is an artist while Lyon is an artisan. It may sound slightly unfair to describe somebody who has 479 Test wickets — with a large chunk of it coming on Australian surfaces — but there are fewer secrets to his bowling. While Ashwin plays 8D chess with the batters (he plays it with himself sometimes), there is less mystique in the way Lyon picks his wickets.
In Ahmedabad, he will be the visitors' primary weapon. Lyon has come into his own after a slightly below-par performance in Nagpur (to be fair, the pitch wasn't suited to his brand of off-spin bowling). Out of the 19 wickets he has claimed in the series, 18 have come in New Delhi (7) or Indore (11). Other bowlers may have tried different things but Lyon being Lyon, didn't stray too much. He retained trust in his own ability and reaped the rewards.
"To be honest, I was pretty happy with the way I bowled in Nagpur," he had said after his eight-fer in India's second innings at Indore. "I understand the quality of cricketers we are coming up against. I know the challenges against these guys, but I was pretty happy with the way I bowled in Nagpur... nothing has changed for me. It's about trusting my stock ball and doing the basics right. It's what I tell after every game." The one discernible thing he has changed from his previous tours to India to 2023 is the way he's coming around the wicket (all the spinners have been doing this as a way to bring in all modes of dismissal).
He has retained other aspects of his craft, including not being afraid to get hit. "It doesn't matter what wicket I'm playing on. If I can get somebody to defend, I'm pretty happy," he had said. "That's the nuts and bolts of my secret, to try and get guys to defend me for long periods. That means I'm putting the balls in the right areas. Saying that, I don't mind if guys try and hit me. I have been hit for the most number of sixes in Test history (278, 88 ahead of Rangana Herath) so I'm not afraid to be hit for a six (smiles). It's a great challenge but I don't mind it either way but more challenging to get the guys defending."
By nature, he's an attack-minded bowler so you will take that into consideration. However, his journey in becoming Australia's lead spinner since making his international debut in 2011 has been interesting, to say the least. He thanked his dad who sat him down for an honest conversation in 2012.
"I think at the start of my career, I probably felt more the weight of trying to win games in the last couple of innings. But it was actually my dad who sat me down and said 'there are three or four other bowlers who you're able to bowl within partnerships and if you do your role. Some days, you're going to have success and some days, your mates are going to have success, and that's more important that you're able to identify that. When it's your time, grab it and run with both hands'," said Lyon.
In this series, he has done that alright.