The Follow-On'It should be hard and pretty fast' - Michael Hussey previews the 1st Test between settled Aussies v a new-look India
Mr. Cricket joins Nic Savage on the Follow-On podcast to preview the much anticipated 1st Test in Perth between Australia and India!
Gooday, and welcome to Fox Crickets follow on podcast. Some one names Nick Savage. I'm feeling in for Courtney Wold. She's on a plane across to Perth at the moment out of the first Test between Australia and India, and I am joined by well childhood hero of mine actually is a World Cup champion, an Ash's hero and one of Fox Cricket's commentators ahead of the Summer of Cricket. I'm joining another other than Michael Hussey. Mike, thanks so much for joining us.
Yeah, no worries, thanks for having me.
Looking forward to the series starting. It should be very exciting that way.
Obviously, the Border Gavaska Trophy is now one of cricket's great modern contests. What was it like during your day's playing against India and how has that rivalry changed in the decade or so since.
Yeah, I think over the last fifteen twenty years of rivalry, it's really growing, you know.
I think India has become a real.
Powerhouse in world cricket. And yeah, their fans are so fanatical.
There's been so many great players come out of that country over.
There, and obviously, yeah, you know Arbigan Sin you know, I don't assuming in the name. I guess over the years, but yeah, I just feel like the yeah, the rivalries really growing so much and now it probably got arguably the two best teams in the world that are.
Just fighting it out and.
India obviously one of the last two series in Australia, which is so rare for Australia to lose in Australia.
So it certainly adds a lot to the series. And yeah, I can't.
Think of probably a bigger series other than National series really for an Australian teams.
Have you had a.
Chance to look at the Perth deck yet? Can we expect another bouncy off the stadium pitch?
Well, I haven't actually been able to get out there yet.
There's been quite a bit of rain over here in person the lead up to the test, so I don't know if that's affected.
The grounds and preparation of the pitch.
I do believe there's quite a bit of grass on the pitch which you're hoping to take a little bit off, but it should be hard and it's pretty fast as well, so i'd expect it might not be a little bit slower on the first day, but a bit of moisture in the pitch and then as it hardens up and drives out, you can get faster and faster as I well.
Hopefully we don't get any rain on Friday or for the five days after that. Obviously, with the Australian side, the big storyline is Nathan McSweeney, who's expected to make his Test debut tomorrow. Were you surprised at all by his selection? There was certainly a lot of debate at the time. He's obviously not a specialist open. What did you make of his call up?
Yeah, well, I mean they've rewarded good form, you know, in good current form. You know, he's obviously performed really well without over the last year year in a bit.
I guess, And I think the hardest.
Thing for him is going to be the adjustment from batting day number four or number three uster being an opening batsman.
I think he's got the game, the temperament and the technique to be able to handle the.
Moose, but it's more dealing with the mental side of the game and the preparation being mentally ready to go.
Sometimes you're out in the field for.
I don't know, maybe one hundred overs or so and then you've got ten minutes to get straight back off and then and then you're out there with.
The past on ready to go to the bat.
So that can be a real mental challenge. So you know, normally isn't number before you've got time to have a share and just mentally relaxed a little bit before going.
Out to that. So that's probably the biggest but it's going to have to make. But it's like change, Like the selectors have got the philosophy of let's just.
Excess that many country who we think they are and then we'll just figure out what's what they've made in from there. And yeah, so it's going to be a real challenge for nation between you, I think, you know, moving from it, you know, from a position that he feels comfortable in up to that position that he's not really done before, especially against that's a great thing like India. You know you're going to be going able to get some former in challenging conditions. So yeah, it'll be it'll be tough for him, but it looks like a really good and well organized player. So you know, let's get doctor a great start to his career.
You started your career as an opener succeeded there then he scored the bulk of the Test rooms at four, finished up at around five and six. Was that a tough adjustment to make? I been trying all those different roles in this Test site.
I think probably being an open to start with probably help, you know, because you used to facing the new ball, and to be honest, opening the batting is the hardest job in the game, you know, such a tough position to that.
I've at it in the.
Order in one day cricket quite a lot, so that probably helped me make.
The adjustice of.
Being able to beat it in the middle order in Test crickets. But it must admit initially it was very different, you know, and it's just come out with new routines. I'm having yourself ready, probably more mentally than anything, to be able to get ready to perform.
So yeah, there was definitely some adjustmente you made.
But I quite enjoyed bating in the middle order. It was a lot of fun. You know. Batting is some a different situations.
You might come in with the teams in a lot of trouble, you know, losing three or four wickets early, and you've got a prime resurrect unings. You might come in, you know, when the thing's done really well and looking to declare, and it's got to tee off and for as me runs you can you gets about the scale a little bit sometimes.
Well, which is a lot of fun.
So now I really enjoyed the different challenge of batting in the middle order.
Of course, batting with the tailor mcg against South Africa. It was one of your finest Test knocks, of course. But just back on Nathan McSweeney, you played a small but significant role in his rise. You conducted a review into South Australian cricket a few years ago. One of the recommendations that came from that was encouraging South Australia to poach talent from other states, and one of Lesslie's first moves was to bring across Nathan McSweeney. And of course his career has flourished since then. You must feel a little bit of pride knowing that you've played a small role in his rise to Test status.
I'm not sure I can take much credit for that one, now. I mean, that's a pretty long bow that if you're willing to throw it my way, I'm happy to say this, you know, but yeah, I mean I'd like to be doing the.
Reviews out Australia.
You know, it's fascinating experiences to sort of get the ideas and the thoughts from from everyone in down Australian cricket from different ends.
From really I'm.
Really proud Parochium South Australians, and then the other end, you know, you other other players and the administrators that you have seen the game growing in South Australia and how they can become a real power, how to keep your field competition and one of the one of the ideas was that because of the population is not huge in South Australia, to be able to try and bring talent from in the state, particularly from probably the bigger populated states by Victoria and New South Wales.
But yeah, it's pretty good that.
The managed to get nat to m Tweeny, who he looks like a quality player and I'm sure would have been in Queensland's plans for the future.
But for him to be able to move to South Australia, get an.
Opportunity and now playing Test cricket for Australia, it's a good story. And yeah, I'm sure that South Australia says that is a bit of a win and a bit of a subtest story from their their plan of bringing into their program.
Well, of course there's now three South Australian Test crickets in the side alongside Travis Head and Alex Carey. First time in decades that's happened, so plenty of for the Red Backs to be excited about there. I guess with mc sweeney, what happens if the first couple of tests, for three tests, he has a bit of a rough trot, get some low scores, do this likets back them for all five tests, or I open the idea of them maybe trying someone different for Melbourne and Sydney if things don't work out.
Well, I believe that this test squad has been picked for just the first Test match, So I don't know. I don't know if you can read into that or not, but look, i'd be very surprised if they've made the big call of bringing Nathan mc sweeney into the Test team opening the batting. I'd be very surprised if after a couple of tests that they said.
That it's been working and we're going to move to someone else.
I think they'll give him a run at it and allow him some time to sort of settle into the role, and said it's a big adjudgment for him moving from the middle order up to the top.
It's going to take a little bit of time.
So they just backing in and we know he's got player, we know he's got some runs behind him with South Australia. Seam is a long term sort of player for Australia and so give him every opportunity to grow into that role.
I think it would be important. I guess the challenge will.
Be if Australia goes one or two mill down early in the series and he has to scot any runs, there's going to be enormous pressure from the public and the media and everyone on.
The outside to make some changes.
So that's probably going to be where the challengers sort of comes as selected. So we're just about to wait and see how it plays out. Let's hope to get doctored with towards them runs earlier. Strugg a good start of the series.
The battle between him and Boomra is going to be one of the most enthralling contests of the series. I can't wait, and I guess look at India, They've obviously been one of the most dominant Test teams over the past decade, but they are coming off the back of that historic three nil whitewash against New Zealand. Do you read lot into that and is that something they'll carry into this series or does this feel like a bit of a fresh start for this Indian team.
Well, I think that'll be seeing it as like, okay, let's put that behind us very quickly.
I mean, it was a shock.
I mean, India do not lose at home very often at all, and let alone three meals. You know, you're going to give a lot of credit to the key Weason the way they performed there, but you know, the Indian style think, well, the conditions are very different from India to Australia, so you know, let's let's just let that series go focused on playing well in austraat They've played well in Australia in.
The last two series. Over here won the series, so they'll take some confidence in that knowing that they've done well over here in the part.
But it will be interesting to see how they react that they've been copping a lot of criticism from back home and particularly some of their biggest names, the Charmer and after that Cole.
You have a lot of runs of Late.
So you know, these guys are proud players, proud Indians and they'll take a lot of pride in their own performance.
So I'm expected about that quite hard.
But it will be interesting to see if there is any issue left from from that previous series against the Vielins.
I don't think there will be. I think they're going to.
Come out really hard, really confident, and try and hit me out the Alding Pard early.
It's been intriguing to see since they've touched down in Perth just how secretive the team has been. Obviously they're trying to train behind closed doors. I don't think any of the players have spoken to local media. Does that come down to a bit of just how Indian cricket culture is or is there a reason behind them being a little bit secret of heading to this first Test.
Well, there's always an intensity around the Indian team because I can understand why they want to black out the nets and things like that. It's not so much worrying about Australia watching the train or you know, get you some fives in their seeing what's going on.
It's more about that fans.
Their fans are so fanatical and literally if the nets were open, there see probably thousands and thousands of people coming down and watching, you know, the Indian same trains, particularly watching verout Coli bat and I think from a player point of view, it can be a little bit distracting your time, and so that's probably just one of us like, let's just be really focused, Let's just be really intense with our training and our preparation.
Let's get everything right and then we can come into the series, you know, in the best possible frame of mind.
If you've got thousands of people, got of hang around the nets, make lots of noise and lots of movement, can be a little bit of a distraction.
So I think it's probably.
More about that sorde of things than it is, you know, about secrecy or anything like that.
There's a few question marks around India's starting eleven row at Shimer's obviously just recently celebrated the birth of his second child, sup and Gil copped a knock to the finger during the warm ups ahead of this test. But the other sort of question is Ashvin and Judasia, who are probably the first names in the starting level at home. But do you think they can have two spinners in their first eleven for a Test match in Perth which traditionally favors quick bowling.
If I'm being honest, I'll be surprised. I'll be surprised if they play bots to spinners. But I don't know if this is India that they will make their own mind up there. But yeah, you're right, the pitch generally is suited too fast bouncing you know bowlers. I guess then, and not as much. Having said that, Nathan Lyon's got a great record of playing in Perth and he's actually got the most wicket of Australian bowlers here in Perth, so you know, I'm sure I'll can all that before making their decision. They're two quality bowlers, both Jeneis around Ashman. I wouldn't be surprised if they played just one of them and then playing all round us time length in their batting, as well as a couple of young all rounded there in the Indian.
Set up that are exciting.
Not a lot of experience of playing in Australian conditions, but maybe they might keep one of those.
Tides to go. But having said that, you know quality, you can't beat quality no matter what the conditions are and neighbors.
I just think, you know what, Ashman can do a job in Australia on the pitch, as can jid Asa, and there's probably going to be maybe just as good's not better.
Than maybe a team bowling or a round it. So it's going to be fascinating.
What don't probably have the right answer of the day, but I'd probably be surprised that they played both.
In I guess look at the Australian team that's pretty stable. This is the same core group they've had for a while. The only slight question mark would be minus Labushane, who's play his own standards, had a quiet twenty four months or so. Would he be feeling a little bit of pressure ahead of this series where historically Gieswa Pajara was the number three who was winning them series just through batting time. Is there now that sort of reliance on Lavishine to serve a similar role.
Yeah, I'm sure he'll be feeling a little bit of pressure. I mean, he's a guy that just loves that and when he's not scoring as many runs he would like, then you know, he start getting a little bit anxious, so he'll.
Want to start series off really well.
I've been watching pretty closely in the lead up to the set series, and he's practicing really well.
The technique will solid you nice and sound.
He's sort of made a couple of little small adjustments, like from a game plan point of view, that where he's thinking you're going to bowl him, And yeah, I mean it's it's a real confidence game and a lot of these guys he just got off the gup positives. Get that first for under the belt, then you can just relax and feel like your ring series. You've had a good look at all their bowls. But yeah, if he gets a couple of those scores earlier, then.
That that tension and just start to write again.
And yeah, I saw the you know, the critics out there will sort of start coming to the floor, and but yeah, that's that's what critics all about. As a player, you've just got to try and somehow deal with all those external distractions and just focus on what's really important to you out in the middle.
So, yeah, every player goes through certain.
Periods of their career where the runs but stance flowing as much as what you know, you'd hope, or what everyone else expects you to. But we know he's a quality player, and we know there's probably big runs just around the corner.
I know you've got other media obligations to get to, so I thank you for your time, but before you go, could always get a serious score prediction and a prediction for player of the series.
Oh it's going to be so diggy.
I mean, there's so many great players from both seen the actually able to predict who's going to be out of the series or anything like that. I'm actually predicting Australia to win, and win quite well, I think, particularly starting in Person Going to Prison and.
The Indian I'm thinking Australia.
To be fred Ill, which might be controversial and it might be a bit a bit of a stretch, but I think Australia.
Are really time for this series and I think Man of a Series or.
Let's go, Oh, let's go, No, No, let's go with Kawaja love it it.
Was with in Kwaja, who celebrates his thirty eighth birthday next month. I believe he's heading towards the twilight of his career. I suppose, but yes, absolutely, Michael thank you so much for today. I really appreciate your having on and looking forward to the first test which starts this Friday.
