Mitchel's dream is to make it to Aussie Test team

Chennai, June 29 (UNI) The likes of Bret Lee and Chadminda Vaas have benefitted from their stint in the now well-known nursery of fast bowlers, and now another from Down Under, left-arm speedster Mitchel Johnson is at the MRF Pace Foundtion to home his talent under his former icon Dennis Lillee, who discovered him back home.

Mitchel, who was 'mobbed' by the media for quotes after his stint at the nets predictably said having made a mark in ODIs, he was looking to make his Test debut for Australia soon.

''Hopefully, I'll get to play a Test match soon back home against your country(India)'', he said, adding his performance against India in the off shore series in Malaysia gave him immense satisfaction.

''It was a great feeling claiming the wickets of the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. It was an important thrust to my career'', he observed.

It was a positive thing for me as I was bowling with McGrath, who is very approachable and I have learnt a lot interacting with him during the series, he revealed.

''I'll keep training hard doing the required training. Hopefully I'll get wickets in the domestic competitions back home'', he said.

Revealing that things changed for him after Lillee, the consultant coach at MRF spotted him at a pace bowling clinic Down Under, Mitchell said it was a tough propositin to find a place in the Australian Test or ODI team, in the first place. ''You will have to work really hard. There are a lot of bowlers waiting in the wings in Australian cricket'', he said.

Asked what was the secret behind Australia churning out so many talented pace and seam bowlers, Mitchell said '' I think we are born with it.'' More UNI VV TB RK1935