Will Warner reverse Ashwin stranglehold?

Among the measures David Warner is mulling to try and relinquish the hold India spinner Ravi Ashwin has exerted over him is to attack him batting right-handed.

Not as in radically changing his stance at the wicket, even though Warner has been known to abandon his natural left-handed technique in the practice nets in order to fine-tune some of his more innovative 'switch hit' strokes.

But rather to employ the unconventional and equally unexpected reverse-sweep shot more frequently in a bid to throw India's master bowler off the immaculate line and length that has brought him so many rewards.

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Ashwin has dismissed Warner nine times in the 23 Test innings in which the pair have gone head-to-head.

It's not quite 'bunny' territory, when compared to the mental and technical stranglehold that Glenn McGrath developed over former England captain Michael Atherton, removing him a remarkable 19 times in 17 Tests.

On three occasions for a duck.

But even though Ashwin has only once dismissed the Australia opener for a single-figure score (in the second innings at Sydney in 2015 after Warner scored a first-innings century), the spinner who is regularly employed with the new ball has accounted for his rival six times in their past four Test matches.

Which has led Ashwin to note, in the wake of India's 75-run win in the second Test at Bengaluru which levelled the four-match series 1-1, that "it just makes it that much easier" when you establish a hold over a rival batter.

As he did at Chinnaswamy Stadium last week, where he claimed Warner's wicket in both innings.

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As a result, Warner has been contemplating some changes to the way he bats against Ashwin when the teams reconvene for what is expected to be another spicy encounter at Ranchi from next Thursday.

Including the reverse sweep, a stroke from which Warner pocketed four runs when he pulled it out against Ashwin on the second ball of Australia's second innings of the opening Test at Pune.

But the left-hander knows that there's a fine line between using the reverse sweep as a legitimate stroke (played from a traditional batting stance) and the more premeditated switch hit, where the batter reverses the batting stance as the ball is delivered.

Which means if Ashwin pitches the ball outside Warner's leg stump and he attempts to reverse sweep with the off-spin, he can't be given out lbw.

But if he employs the switch hit and is therefore deemed to be batting right handed, that same delivery has technically pitched outside off stump and lbw comes into play should Warner miss it and be struck in front of his stumps.

"I'm working on a few things in the nets," Warner said in Bengaluru today where the Australians have enjoyed a few days break before returning to training tomorrow.

"I know he's going to be at one end for the whole time I'm out there, and the other end I've got another spinner or quick so I've got to negate that.

"The last Test I was contemplating (trying) to play a reverse sweep.

"The only concern for me is the variable bounce - that's always the challenging thing.

"If you miss that and switch hit you can still be given out lbw, but if you reverse (sweep) you can't - you have to be careful.

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"I know in my mind if I play a shot, he (Ashwin) will change something.

"I know if he tries something I'm thinking in the back of my mind how am I going to score?

"That's credit to him.

"He's a fantastic bowler, he's got a lot of wickets in his backyard and I have to respect that."

But Warner is also quick to point out that Ashwin is always likely to account for rival top-order batters on a regular basis because he bowls so many overs at them.

Especially in his home conditions, where he routinely takes the new ball or is brought into the attack after just a handful of overs and bowls lengthy spells, often more than 40 overs per innings.

While he is acknowledged as the fastest to reach 250 Test wickets in the game's history in terms of Tests played, when that milestone is measured against the number of balls bowled he only just scrapes into the top 20.

The 12,905 Test match deliveries Ashwin sent down to reach 250 wickets paling against South African Dale Steyn's benchmark of 9,579 (a difference of more than 550 overs).

With other greats including Pakistan's Waqar Younis, Sri Lanka's Muthiah Muralidaran and Australia quartet Dennis Lillee, Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Mitchell Johnson all reaching that milestone in fewer deliveries.

But it hasn't stopped Ashwin and his teammate Cheteshwar Pujara posting a tell-all video on the official BCCI website shortly after the Bengaluru Test in which they reveal the sorts of on-field comments they were passing to Warner and some of his teammates.

"I told Matt Renshaw (Warner's opening partner) when he was batting in the first innings that if they didn't score big, I'll have them for soup and dessert," Ashwin laughed in the video, even though he did not capture the 20-year-old's wicket in Bengaluru.

"I was very happy it happened."

The fact that India's players have chosen to go public with details of the on-field chat they employ, and their ploys to directly unsettle specific opponents in retaliation for the Australians' verbal volleys has raised some eyebrows within the touring team.

However Warner, who was once renowned for getting involved in heated on-field exchanges but has recently embraced a positive equanimity that has led to him being nicknamed 'The Reverend' by teammates, is steadfastly refusing to bite back.

"I don't need to respond, not anymore," the Australia vice-captain said. "It's just a rule of the cricketing world, you keep everything off the field (but) that's up to themselves.

"From our point of view we'll never do that.

"You have to what you have to do.

"Wait for them to stop talking and face the bowler.

"They came out and said they don't sledge, I think it's just banter.

"You don't take much notice of it.

"When you first get out there everyone's talking so you don't understand what they're saying anyway.

"When you have four or five men around the bat constantly, you'll hear some kind of stuff.

"Half the time I don't even understand."

Test Squads

India (for third and fourth Tests): Virat Kohli (c), Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandaran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Karun Nair, Jayant Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Abhinav Mukund.

Australia: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Ashton Agar, Jackson Bird, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Stephen O'Keefe, Matthew Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade

Australia's schedule in India

Feb 23-27, First Test, Pune - Australia won by 333 runs.

Mar 4-8, Second Test, Bengaluru - India won by 75 runs.

Mar 16-20, Third Test, Ranchi

Mar 25-29, Fourth Test, Dharamsala