Team India captain Rohit Sharma heaped huge praise on veteran Australian spinner Nathan Lyon after the third Test match in Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Lyon spun his magic in Indore to claim an eight-wicket haul in the second innings to set up the foundation of Australia’s massive 9-wicket victory to bounce back in the four-match series. The veteran Aussie spinner has been impressive in the ongoing series as the star-studded Indian batting line-up is finding it tough to tackle him on the rank-turners.
Rohit, who was dismissed by Lyon in the second innings of Indore Test, said that in the current generation, the Aussie spinner is the number 1 overseas bowler to play in India.
“He should be at the top in my opinion. Obviously I haven’t played guys like Murali or Shane Warne. But among the current crop, he would probably be the No.1 overseas bowler to come and play in India,” Rohit said in the post-match presser.
The Indian skipper suggested that the accuracy Lyon possess makes the batter try and do different things to score runs.
“He has got so much consistency in his line and length. When you have someone with that amount of accuracy, you need to try and do something different in terms of scoring runs because you know he will not give you anything easy," he said.
Rohit further talked about how having a player like Lyon in the bowling attack boosts the confidence of any skipper.
“This is probably his third tour to India. I wasn’t part of team during his first tour but I watched the game. He is a very experienced bowler and is not afraid of getting hit. That gives the captain a lot of confidence because he knows he has a guy who that he is going to pitch it there and let the pitch do the remaining,” he explained.
Lyon has a tremendous record in Indian conditions as he has claimed 53 wickets in 10 Test matches including 5 five-wicket hauls.
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