I'm confident Australia will win: Mitchell Johnson

Mitchell Johnson, the veteran Australian fast bowler predicts that Australia will walk away with the Test series. He said that the Dharamsala wicket favours the Aussies more than the hosts. The tourists will feel at home in Dharamsala according to the former speedster.

The 35-year-old believes that the draw in Ranchi felt like a win for the away side as there were a lot of positives to take from that game. Johnson said that the Australian batters dug in and saved the Test match, on other days they would have collapsed but that did not happen. This makes the former Australian cricketer feel good and confident.

He said, “They dug in and played exceptional cricket, that’s why I think Smith said what he did. They will be pumped after that. Even though it was only a draw, to them it will feel very good and very positive. Because they have collapsed a lot in the past. That’s why I’m confident Australia will win.”

Johnson was talking to Fox Sports when he said that Australia should go with three seamers and drop Steven O’Keefe. The 35-year-old has played at the Dharamsala stadium and feels that three seamers and Nathan Lyon is the way to go. He also said the Lyon gets the nod only because of his experience as both of them have done well in the series.

“It’s a tough one because they’ve both had their moments in this series, but I think you’ve got to go with experience. I think Nathan Lyon will get a lot more bounce and he has been turning the ball quite nicely. If it’s more of an Australian kind of wicket, I think you’ll see Nathan Lyon bowl and Bird come in as the third quick,” opined the Australian speedster.

Johnson said that Australia will be confident and India will be a bit nervous because Dharamsala has always produced a green top wicket which suits the Aussies. He also said that the Indians have been overconfident throughout the series and the score line acts as a witness for the same.

Mitchell said, “Dharamsala is an amazing ground and … the only times I have seen it are with grass on (the pitch). So I think that’s why the Australians will probably be confident … and India will be a little bit nervous. I think they’ve been overconfident in this series and I think the scoreline shows that.”