Nathan Lyon rates India-Australia series at par with the Ashes

CHENNAI: Star off-spinner Nathan Lyon has often been hailed as one of the best slow-ball bowlers to have played for Australia after the legendary Shane Warne.
However, even his good show with the ball couldn’t save Australia as they lost the 2018-19 Test series at home to India 1-2. It was India’s maiden Test series victory in Australia.
With India scheduled to take on Australia once again in a four-Test series at the end of the year, Lyon is looking to make up for that loss. The 32-year-old, with 390 wickets from 96 Tests, compared the India-Oz series to the Ashes.
“It’s getting up there to the pinnacle series alongside Ashes. Obviously, they have got a side full of superstars and it’s going to be an amazing challenge this summer,” Lyon said on Wednesday.
Lyon conceded that the loss to India still hurt him. “You definitely don’t like losing games or series while playing for Australia,” he said. However, he was clear that India was the better of the two sides during the course of that series. “Obviously, India, a couple of years ago, they outplayed us so we are looking to have those guys come out here,” he said.
Lyon has begun bowling after having not done so in the last few months due to the restrictions that came into place as a result of the covid-19 pandemic. However, he doesn’t want to go overboard at this point of time. “I have started, it's not everyday stuff but it's coming along well though,” he said.