With or without a crowd, Australia’s leading spinner is eagerly awaiting the rematch with India
Daniel Brettig14-Apr-2020Australia’s No. 1 spin bowler Nathan Lyon has revealed members of the Test team are becoming increasingly resigned to the likelihood they will make their return to Test cricket in front of empty stadiums next summer, leading them to ponder how India’s captain Virat Kohli will handle an atmosphere devoid of the noise and energy of a crowd to play to.Back in March, the Australia ODI team played one match against New Zealand at a deserted SCG before the visitors flew home amid escalating measures against the coronavirus pandemic. While there is cautious optimism within Cricket Australia about resuming international cricket in time for the home season, there is widespread acceptance that spectators may not be permitted to watch in large groups at grounds for quite some time beyond that.For Lyon, this would likely mean playing the 100th Test of his long and increasingly decorated career at an empty ground – he has currently played 96 matches and claimed 390 wickets, second only to Shane Warne among Australian spin bowlers. Pondering such a scenario recently, Lyon said that he and Mitchell Starc had thought about how Kohli might fare without a crowd to help bring about the combative environments in which he thrives.ALSO READ: Not sure who went ‘easy’ on Virat Kohli for IPL contract – Tim Paine”He’s probably good enough to adapt to any scenario,” Lyon said. “But it’s funny you say that. I was actually talking to Mitch Starc the other day and we actually said that if we are playing with no crowd, it’ll be quite amazing to see Virat trying to rev up the seats. It’s going to be a little bit different. But Virat is a superstar. He’ll be able to adapt to any climate that we’re able to play in.”I’m excited about the prospect of India coming out to Australia, it is up there with the biggest series alongside the Ashes. They’re an absolute powerhouse of the cricket world. Playing in front of crowds or no crowds is out of our control. We’ve got to follow the advice of all the amazing medical people around the world. I haven’t thought about no crowds or massive crowds – it’s just about the opportunity of playing against India again. They had the wood over us last time they came over here but we’re a much stronger side at the moment.”One player Lyon was adamant that Australia needed to reassess their approach to is Cheteshwar Pujara, who has long been the ice to Kohli’s fire and proved the immovable object for the Australian bowling attack in 2018-19. Pujara carved out three centuries in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney to be the backbone of India’s 2-1 series victory.