IND V AUS 2020: 'Expecting them to come out firing' - Nathan Lyon backs India to show up for Melbourne Test
India were handed a hammering in the Adelaide Test as they succumbed to their lowest-ever Test total in the second innings (36). However, Australia spinner Nathan Lyon claims India will not carry mental scars from the first Test and believes the Men In Blue will come out all guns blazing in the Melbourne Test.
The 33-year-old spinner said-
''You look at the quality of players in the Indian side, and they've got some world-class players throughout the whole squad. (Saturday) was one of the days where nothing went right for them and everything went right for us. We've had all them; it's part of the game of cricket.''
"We're expecting them to come out firing and not have any scars from the other day. Cricket's a new game every day so you can't look too far back on it. We can't go out there expecting to bowl them out for (less than) 50 again," Nathan Lyon added.
How did Nathan Lyon perform in the first Test?
Nathan Lyon didn't get much success in the Adelaide Test as the Australian seamers dominated the proceedings. However, he did pick up the crucial wicket of Cheteshwar Pujara in the first innings when the Indian batsman looked well-set. That was Lyon's only wicket in the first Test.
Lyon, who is very experienced, knows that fortunes in Test cricket can change in a matter of days. The off-spinner was part of the Australian team who were dismissed for 47 in the second innings against South Africa in 2011. Just a week later, Australia staged a dramatic comeback to win the next Test in Johannesburg by two wickets.
Mark Waugh recently backed the Aussies to whitewash Team India in the four-match Test series. India's confidence is certainly going to be at rock bottom given the manner of the defeat in Adelaide.
The visitors will miss Mohammed Shami and Virat Kohli's services for the rest of the series. However, Nathan Lyon isn't taking anything for granted for the rest of the Test series.