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Test series win in India is biggest mountain for Australia to climb, feels Nathan Lyon

The 29-year-old spinner feels a young Australian side, which performed well during the second half of 2016, is full of energy and belief.

New Delhi, Jan 12: Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon believes the upcoming series Test against India will be full of challenges, but also hopes the Steve Smith-led young side will give its best to climb 'cricket's biggest mountain'.

Full schedule of India-Australia series

The 29-year-old spinner feels a young Australian side, which performed well during the second half of 2016, is full of energy and belief.

Test series win in India is biggest mountain for Australia to climb, feels Nathan Lyon

"There is an energy and a belief in this young group which we saw during the second half of the summer. The way they play their natural game gives me the confidence we can climb cricket's biggest mountain," Lyon was quoted by The Sydney Morning Herald as saying.

Lyon will be leading Australia's spin battery when they arrive in India for the Test series.

"Touring there (India) tests you physically and mentally. It puts every area of your skill and resilience under the microscope. To stand up and play well in India is to announce yourself as a world class team and that is what we want to do," said Lyon.

He further said that key to Australia's success in India will be playing ugly cricket to score runs and get wickets.

(Test series against India would not be a cake walk for Australia, feels Steve Smith)

India has always been a challenging destination for any touring nation and they have been almost unbeaten at home in the last one decade. As for Australia, winning a Test series in the sub-continent has been their biggest agenda.

Aussies had a disastrous tour of India when they last toured the country, back in 2013. MS Dhoni-led Indian side whitewashed Michael Clarke's team 4-0.

Adding insult to their injuries, the Australians were whitewashed by Sri Lanka in the three-Test series in the island nation in 2016.

Lyon is among four Australian cricketers who were a part of the squad which toured India in 2013 while the rest of the side has very little experience of playing on sub-continent pitches.

"In India, Test matches tend to start slowly but they can speed up very quickly. It's about hanging in there and trying to win the big moments throughout the day.

"Most of our new-look team have never played a Test in India. With all the recent changes only Steve Smith, David Warner, Matt (Matthew) Wade and myself (Lyon) are survivors from 2013. Seven of us remain from last year's tour of Sri Lanka, which presented similar conditions," he added further.

Australia will tour India to play four-Test series against Virat Kohli's men, starting February 23. India, presently, are the No. 1 ranked Test team and have been invincible under the leadership of talismanic skipper Virat Kohli.

OneIndia News

Story first published: Thursday, August 3, 2017, 7:41 [IST]
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