Chennai: Gautam Gambhir made a statement by leading India A from the front and scored a century against Australia in the practice match in Chennai on Saturday and the manner in which the left-hander went after the Australian spinners must be a cause of concern for the visiting team. However, Xavier Doherty, the best Australian bowler of the day, said that there was nothing to worry, as Gautam Gambhir's century wasn’t surprising, knowing the fact that he is a class act against slow bowlers.
"It wasn’t surprising as Gambhir is a world class act against slow bowling. He played beautifully," the left-arm spinner told mediapersons after end of first day's play against India A, adding that it’s wasn’t the best of day for spinners.
"In tour matches, we work out these things to see how it is going. Today was not a great day for the Australian spinners. We will assess the condition and start working on it," said Doherty.
The spin trio of Nathan Lyon, Doherty and Ashton Agar conceded 244 runs in 49 overs and the left-armer agreed that they didn't perform well. Rookie left-arm spinner Ashton Agar was clobbered for 78 runs in 13 overs and Doherty defended the youngster terming it as a "learning experience for him."
"It’s a learning experience for Ashton as he is the youngest in the group. It is a great opportunity for him to bowl against class players. Our spinners really did struggle when those Gambhir and Rohit were on the crease and coming hard at us.”
When asked if Nathan Lyon can take a cue from the performance of Graeme Swann, Doherty said, "It is not going to work as you would have seen Nathan is not that type and he does not bowl fast. It might work for someone else but he is not going to change his game. I think something we got to look at throughout the series and that is the best way to do it."
By ISN