Numbers reveal the biggest challenge for Team India at Adelaide

The much-awaited, the much-anticipated Australia vs India four-match Test series gets underway on December 6 at the Adelaide Oval. The talk surrounding the series has been about Virat Kohli and how the Indian batsmen, on the whole, will handle the Australian pace attack. One man who hasn’t been in the limelight but certainly creates impact is Aussie off-spinner Nathan Lyon.

It is a legend that he worked at the venue as a ground staff and now takes the field as Australia’s lead spinner at this very ground. Despite the fact that the wicket has a lot of green on it, Lyon will still trouble the Indian batsmen as he has in the past. Last time when the Indian team was in Australia to play the Test series, the Adelaide Test was hanging in a delicate position and it was Lyon who earned his team the win.

He had ended that game with figures of 12/286 which was a career-best feat for him. It earned the Aussies a 1-0 lead in the series from where the Indians could never recover and only slumped to 2-0. A look at his record and the seasoned campaigner has always made life tough for the team from the subcontinent not just at home but away as well. And his record at this venue is tremendous to say the least.

The Lion of Adelaide Oval

Though the wickets in Australia rarely offer the spinners any assistance and it is the same case at the Adelaide Oval, the 31-year-old has bowled in 14 innings and has returned with 37 wickets at an average of 26.13. On the whole, he has bagged 30 wickets against the Indians while playing at home and also has 23 wickets while touring India.

Overall in his career, the New South Wales cricketer has played 80 Test matches and has 318 wickets to his name, which makes him the most successful Australian finger spinner. Taking the numbers into account, more than anything else the Indian team also needs to strategies on how to deal with the Lyon challenge especially at Adelaide.

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