Wriddhiman Saha slams Australia's pathetic display against spin; backs India to win T20I series

What's the story?

India's Test wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha has taken potshots at Australia's ineptness against spin. Upon claiming that the Australian batsmen panic when confronted by quality spinners, the 32-year old went on to back India to win the ongoing T20I series by a comfortable margin.

In a freewheeling interview with Sportswallah, Saha declared, "Actually Australian batsmen panic against quality spin attack. It's not that only Kuldeep (Yadav) has disturbed them, they suffer against any world class spinner. I would not comment on their technical aspects, but they come under mental stress while facing a spinner, thus making it easier for a spinner to dominate."

When asked to predict the result of the T20I series, he asserted, "India should win comfortably. I wonder how Australia even managed to win one match in the ODI series, as it was a story of India's complete dominance. You can not predict (any) T20 series. Still the way the two teams are playing only suggests that India have the obvious edge to lift another trophy."

The background

Unlike their spirited performance in the Test series against the same opponents earlier this year, Australia have struggled to make any impact in the limited-overs series in India. One of the major reasons for their hefty 1-4 defeat in the ODI series as well as their loss in the first T20I has emanated from the Australian batsmen's inability to tackle the Indian spin attack on turning tracks.

The heart of the matter

Australia's thought-process and execution against the likes of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have left a lot to be desired. At the end of the ODI series, stand-in head coach David Saker blasted his players' mind-set and admitted that the visitors were guilty of playing 'scared' against an in-form Indian team.

Extra Cover: Too much planning and flawed execution - The Australian way of playing spin

Following their 9-wicket defeat in the opening T20I at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi on Sunday, Aaron Finch revealed that they were struggling to read Kuldeep's variations. The opener described his dismissal in the match as a 'brain fade'.

What's next?

Currently 0-1 down in the T20I series, Australia will be hoping that their fortunes change when they meet Virat Kohli's dominant team in the second game at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Tuesday (October 10).

Author's take

Considering his reticent nature, Saha's strong words of criticism of Australia's performances come across as a slight surprise. However, the gloveman is spot on in his assessment of the visiting batsmen who have been quite amateurish against the Indian spinners. They will need a much improved game-plan against the turning ball in order to turn the tide in the last couple of matches of this tour.