Though the Australian attack will miss Glenn McGrath, India will have to watch out for Stuart Clark, who can be equally lethal with his accurate bowling, feels Michael Bevan.
CHANDIGARH: Though the Australian attack will miss Glenn McGrath, India will have to watch out for Stuart Clark, who can be equally lethal with his accurate bowling in the upcoming series, feels Michael Bevan.
The former Aussie left-hander also said that tackling the pace of Brett Lee will also be the key for the famed Indian batting line-up.
"Stuart bowls similar to what Glenn McGrath used to bowl. He has been a stand-out bowler and in the upcoming series, too, he should deliver," 37-year-old Bevan told here.
He, however, said after McGrath and Shane Warne's retirement, Lee has a big responsibility on his shoulders.
"Lee will test the Indian batsmen with his pace. They will have to play him carefully," said Bevan, the coach of the Chennai Superstars which won the inaugural edition of the Indian Cricket League's Twenty20 tournament.
He said it will also be a big test for Mitchell Johnson, who earlier bowled well against India in the ODIs.
"We will also have to wait and watch if Aussies go with four regular pacers or include a spinner in the squad. If Tait is included, Andrew Symonds and Michael Clarke can chip in."
Bevan said senior players like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid will have to play well if they are to give their bowlers any chance of winning.
He also said the tour will be an opportunity for Yuvraj Singh to prove himself in the longer version of the game.
"Yuvraj is a dynamic and an exciting player, which looks one of the reasons for his inclusion in the Test squad. He has been performing well in the ODIs and the Twenty20 games. Now it will be an opportunity for him to prove his mettle in the longer version of the game," he said.
Bevan, however, felt the Test series will be a close affair.
"But in the end I see Australia winning it. It will be difficult to beat them in their home conditions," he said.
He said if India fancy its chances of beating Australia and defy history, then bowlers will have to bowl good spells.
"They will have to bowl exceptionally well if they are to restrict our free-flowing batsmen. Indian team will have to remember that the current Aussie side has had a remarkable run winning Tests at a stretch," he said.
Regarded as one of the finest ODI batsman in the world for his ability to finish the game, Bevan said now batsmen score runs at a brisk rate in Tests than they used to do earlier.
"My role (as a finisher) had become obsolete towards end (of his career) because batsmen top the order was so good," he said.
Asked about the Twenty20 format, he said it may impact the ODIs and Tests in the shorter run, but both are going to survive in future as different formats have their own fan following.
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