Aussies to adopt Indian way of reverse swing

SYDNEY: The dominance of Indian pacers has forced the Australian think tank to redraw their reverse swing strategy for the remaining two cricket Tests in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

India's Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan managed to reverse swing as early as in 10th over in the Mohali Test and that proved to be the bane of Australian batsmen.

Though Australia had gone into the match with a four-pronged pace attack, spearhead by a seasoned Brett Lee, they failed to generate reverse swing.

According to a report in Courier Mail the world champions have dropped their conventional style of reverse swing and are looking to adopt the Indian method.

Australia have always bowled "seam up" with the new ball before waiting for it to wear, which allowed the pacers to take charge in the 70th over of the day.

But Indian bowlers Zaheer and Ishant hoodwinked the Australians by placing their fingers across the seam with the new ball, helping it to scuff quickly and "go reverse" as early as the sixth over.

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said the pitch was not doing much and so the fast bowlers depended on reverse swing to get the wickets.

"The pitch had nothing much for the fast bowlers. So all our efforts was to maintain the ball. We got the reverse swing as early as 11th over the match and that was the trick," Dhoni said.

Australian vice-captain Michael Clarke said they will follow the Indian way in the third Test.

"The ball is getting the reverse swing in the 10th over of the game. That has such an impact. One thing we have learnt is a lot of Indians are bowling with the fingers across the seam," Clarke said.

Australians were clueless of this unorthodox art and also had no footage before the first Test in Bangalore.

"I knew the ball was reverse swinging but I didn't take any notice of how it was reverse swinging, why they are reverse swinging it in the 10th over and we are reverse swinging in the 80th over," Clarke added.

The skills of reverse swing will continue to be honed at training later this week when the Australians return from a mid-tour break and prepare for a crucial third Test in Delhi.