"I have become his fan" - Harbhajan Singh lauds Nathan Lyon's spell in 3rd IND vs AUS Test

Harbhajan Singh has lauded Nathan Lyon for bowling a devastating spell in India's second innings of the third Test against Australia.

Lyon registered figures of 8/64 as Rohit Sharma and Co. were bowled out for 163 in Indore on Thursday, March 2. The visitors need 76 runs in the fourth innings to register their first win of the tour and assure themselves of a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Harbhajan was asked about his thoughts on Nathan Lyon's spell, to which he responded:

"I have become his fan, not from today, but from the time he has been playing cricket in Australia. It is very difficult to pick up wickets in Australia and what he has done as a finger-spinner there is unbelievable."

The former Indian spinner highlighted that Lyon bowled at the perfect pace and with the right seam position, elaborating:

"He did everything right. He bowled at the pace you should bowl on this pitch and along with that, the seam position was as it should be. It is not that he changed his wrist position while trying to bowl fast and the seam went differently."

Lyon picked up most of his wickets with deliveries having a speed of more than 90 kph. The odd one out was Shubman Gill, who was enticed with flight to play the big shot, only to see his stumps rattled after dancing down the pitch.

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"He got the most spin and bounce and proved most destructive" - Harbhajan Singh on Nathan Lyon

Nathan Lyon is the most successful bowler in the history of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. [P/C: BCCI]

Harbhajan Singh added that Lyon's upright seam position and strong basics yielded him rich dividends in Indore, observing:

"His natural bowling style is to bowl with an upright seam and his basics are so strong that even if he increases his pace by four or five kph, his seam position is straight, because of which he got the most spin and bounce and proved most destructive."

The cricketer-turned-commentator concluded by pointing out that Lyon is a role model for all budding off-spinners, stating:

"Whoever sticks to the basics, gets the results. You will definitely want to bowl fast on this pitch, but you need to remember that the seam should be upright, which is the case with Nathan Lyon. If someone has to learn off-spin, if a kid is watching cricket, you should watch him because his seam position is amazing."

Lyon has snared 479 wickets at an average of 31.11 in 118 Tests. His 113 wickets are the most by any bowler in the history of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, surpassing Anil Kumble's previous record of 111 scalps.