Finger fault won't stop Lyon spinning

Australia’s premier spinner Nathan Lyon admits the split callus on inside of his right index finger affected his bowling in the crucial second innings of last week’s Test at Bengaluru.

But the 29-year-old, who had bowled Australia into a position of strength in the first innings with career-best figures, believes the ailment won’t keep him out of the next Test starting in Ranchi on Thursday.

Off-spinners historically develop significant calluses on the top knuckle of their spinning finger, the digit they use to impart revolutions on the ball and which comes in for major wear and tear when bowling workloads are heavy.

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Former Australia Test spinner Tim May grew such a massive protuberance on his right hand he claimed it actually helped him generate extra ‘revs’ on the ball, until such time as it ruptured and bowling became virtually impossible until it fully healed.

Lyon captured 8-50 in a stunning first-innings return at Chinnaswamy Stadium last Saturday to put Australia in charge of the match, but finished wicketless when India batted again to take control of the Test.

And was clearly inconvenienced by the injury to his spinning finger, which he had sustained when he sliced open the callus on a sharp piece of leather protruding from the ball’s seam.

An issue that became more problematic as the game progressed.

Regulations forbid players applying sticking plaster to their bowling hands lest they use the artificial substance to gain an unfair advantage.

“I've bowled a lot of balls over the summer and it usually happens once or twice a year,” Lyon said today as the Australians arrives in Ranchi to prepare for the third Test.

“It just split. 

“It was pretty painful there for a bit. 

“And you can't bowl on (adhesive) tape - there's rules and laws out there that you can't bowl on tape so I wasn't even considering that.

"The last time I was here (in India, in 2013), the same thing happened in the third Test and I was able to play three days later. 

“So I'm more than confident in turning out for the next Test.”

While Lyon hasn’t bowled anywhere near the number of deliveries as India’s rival off-spinner Ravi Ashwin – who has sent down almost 650 overs across 11 Tests in the current India season – he did a lot of work prior to this campaign.

Spending hours in the practice nets trying to alter the way in which he bowls on Asian pitches, and closely studying the weapons employed by Ashwin to achieve that outcome.

It was the variations that Lyon has added to his repertoire and which helped bring him unprecedented success in the first innings at Bengaluru that he was unable to execute when the callus split last weekend.

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The ailment also restricted him to fitness work and batting drills when the Australians returned to training at Bengaluru on Sunday afternoon, with his recovery from the cut to determine how much bowling he undertakes in the days leading into the next Test.

"I'm able to bowl cross-seam and stuff, so I can still try to spin it," Lyon said.

"But for variations and trying to get drift and drop and stuff - to go at the back of the ball - the way I bowl, it (the finger injury) does impede it a little bit."

However, it wasn’t only the variety of deliveries that Ashwin – who last month became the fastest to reach 250 Test wickets, in terms of matches played – that Lyon studied prior to arriving in India last month.

He spent just as much time, if not more, on looking at the strategy that 30-year-old Ashwin employs when setting up a batter or executing a plan of attack.

It’s a method that has made Ashwin a force on dry, spinning pitches in Asia where he’s taken 228 wickets at 21.57, but not so effective in Australia where his record shows 21 at 54.71 from six Tests.

By contrast, Lyon averages 34.55 runs per wicket on Australia Test pitches and – after his haul at Bengaluru last week – 36.25 across the 13 Tests he’s played in Asia.

"The way he constructs an over is one big thing,” Lyon said about what he had gleaned from intently watching Ashwin, India’s leading wicket taker for the current series.

"I've been studying the way he bowls to left and right handers in these conditions.

"The way he uses the crease, the different shapes he puts on the ball. 

"We're different bowlers, you can tell that when he comes out to Australia."

Another significant difference to Lyon’s bowling in the current series is the amount of time he has spent coming over the wicket to India’s preponderance of right-handed batters.

In Australia, where bounce represents more of a weapon than spin for the tall off-spinner, Lyon often operates around the wicket to use the increased angle he creates to bring the bat-pad catchers into play.

But the pitches prepared at Pune and Bengaluru – with a similar surface expected for Ranchi – have provided such sharp turn that Lyon has been able to bowl with great effect over the wicket, as Ashwin does so well to right-handers.

Which also enables the Australian to more effectively use the delivery that skids straight on with his arm as it pitches in a far more dangerous area, on or just outside off stump.

"It depends on the pitch," Lyon said when asked about the change in tactics.

"The last two pitches I've been able to get good bounce, sharp bounce and fast spin off the wicket as well.

"If the wicket wasn't doing that as much, then I'd look at the option of coming around the wicket. 

"But it just really depends on the type of wicket.

"I know there's three wickets at Ranchi (prepared on the centre block, with India officials reportedly to decide which will be used).

"So we'll just have to wait and see which one they play."

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