Mike Hussey backs Mitchell Starc to challenge Virat Kohli throughout the upcoming series

Former Aussie batsman Mike Hussey has lauded Mitchell Starc for his exceptional bowling performance in the recent past and believes his abilities with the ball will pose some serious challenge to Indian captain Virat Kohli who has been in red-hot form off late irrespective of all formats. Australia is all set to challenge India in the upcoming 4 match Test series starting from 23r February in Pune. Kohli recently joined a league of his own by becoming the first cricketer in the history of Test cricket to smash 4 double centuries in 4 consecutive Test series.

Despite Australia’ lacklustre performance in the subcontinent, Starc has stood out and was the leading wicket-taker during the series in Sri Lanka where the Aussies were whitewashed 3-0. “I think Starc is a brilliant bowler for the sub-continental conditions. He bowls at a genuine pace, can swing the new ball and is an excellent exponent of reverse swing. I am sure he will challenge Kohli throughout the series. It will, however, take a collective effort to stop Kohli, who has been phenomenal of late,” Hussey was quoted as saying by Times of India.

Hussey emphasised on the fact that Steve Smith must be patient with spinners Nathan Lyon and Steve O’Keefe despite knowing that Indians are master against spin bowling. “He has experience of playing in India, which is important both in Tests and at the IPL. I feel he needs to show a lot of faith and patience with his spinners and get the field right, with a nice balance of attacking and defending,” Hussey pointed out.

David Warner has been in scintillating form in the recent past but Hussey feels that it will be totally different conditions in India which will definitely fire up both Smith and Warner. “There is always a lot of pressure on Warner and Steve Smith to score big runs for Australia. The good thing is that they are both very hungry for runs and love batting. India will be a huge challenge for both players but I am sure they are very determined to have an impact on the series,” Hussey added.

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Hussey who was known as ‘Mr. Cricket during his playing days for his consistency was impressed with the way Australia have prepared themselves for the India tour. The whole squad is currently at the ICC Academy in Dubai preparing themselves for the tough series against India. He is not sure though how much it will be translated into performances.

“This tour of India has been a big focus for Cricket Australia for some time now and the preparation has been meticulous. Whether that transcends into performance on the field remains to be seen but the preparation has certainly been thorough,” he said. Australia will play a 3-day tour match ahead of the Test series but Hussey wanted few more warm-up matches for the Aussies to get used to the conditions here. “I would have perhaps like to have seen a few more warm-up matches in India to cap off the preparations,” he said.

He also urged the Aussie batsmen to come with a clear-cut plan against the deadly spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. “Well it’s going to have to be. Each batsman must have very clear plans on how they want to play both spinners and then execute that plan in the middle. It will be tough as they are both very effective bowlers in Indian conditions. Ashwin obviously understands the home conditions really well and knows how to utilise them. Similarly, Lyon probably has a better record in Australia for the same reasons.”

Hussey advised newcomers Matt Renshaw and Peter Handscomb to back their defence and find ways to get off the strike. “Back your defence and have ways to get off strike. Be prepared to work very hard for long, long periods of time,” he said.

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Hussey remained optimistic about Australia’s chances in the upcoming series and said that if they play some tough cricket they are in with a shout. “Definitely, but India are a high-quality team particularly at home and it will be a huge challenge for our team, but as long as they are prepared to play tough Test cricket for long, long periods of time then I think we have a chance,” Hussey concluded.