Glenn McGrath shares valuable tips for the Australian team ahead of the Test series in India

The Australian team has landed in India and in less than 10 days time they will be on the field for their biggest test of the season. Virat Kohli and co have been in an unstoppable form and teams like New Zealand and England were rolled over without much ado. Australia are aware of the challenge ahead of them and thus spent some considerable time practicing in the UAE to get their game in tune with the conditions and pitches in the subcontinent. Amidst that former pacer, Glenn McGrath has shared a few tips with the men from down under.

McGrath has spent some time in India as the director of the MRF Pace Foundation. He thinks Steve Smith and company should focus on taking early wickets and then choke the flow of runs so that the next batsman who walks in feels the pressure and once the ball gets old and starts to reverse their pacers will be back in action.

“In the sub-continent, you don’t have that bounce, you don’t have that seam, you don’t have that carry. Okay, how are we going to take wickets? The new ball will still carry through quite well, so you’re looking to take wickets caught in the slips, caught behind with the new ball.

“Then you go through a patch when the ball really does nothing – it’s not carrying through, it’s not reverse swinging, so then you really have to dot it up (stop the scoring). Work on the ball, the wicket’s going to be abrasive and after a while it will go reverse swing. As soon as that ball starts reverse swinging, it’s a little bit more in favour of the bowler and you can attack a bit more,” McGrath was quoted by cricket.com.au.

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The key is to remain patient while bowl long spells only then will they be able to get the results. “Be prepared to bowl long spells, build pressure and look to take wickets that way. So that’s my mindset in the sub-continent,” he said.

Aussie bowlers will need to learn quickly and adjust their lengths according to the behavior of the pitch only then will they be able to make an impact.

“Ninety nine times out of a hundred it’s still hitting the deck, hitting the top of off stump. A lot of people think that must be easy, but it’s a slightly different length on every wicket. There’s not going to be two wickets where it’s just the same length, so you have to adjust to the conditions and that’s where I felt I could adjust quite well,” he said.

The legend also believes left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc will be the trump card for the visitors with his ability to bowl over 150km/hr.