O'Keefe, Lyon reach out to spin kings

To better prepare themselves for the colossal task of bowling in India, Steve O’Keefe and Nathan Lyon have picked the brains of two of Test cricket’s greatest finger-spinners.

New Zealand legend Daniel Vettori and Australia’s chief destroyer in Sri Lanka last winter, veteran Rangana Herath, were both sought out by Lyon and O’Keefe before departing to Dubai last week ahead of the four-Test tour of India that starts on February 23 in Pune.

Between them, left-arm spinners Vettori and Herath have captured more than 700 Test victims and boast outstanding numbers in Asia, where the Australian pair, plus youngsters Ashton Agar and Mitchell Swepson, face the toughest Test in world cricket.

"The main things you get away from those guys is challenging the batter’s defence," O’Keefe said from Australia’s pre-tour training camp in Dubai.

"And if you can continually put the ball in the right area, given these conditions will spin more than what we’re used to at home, that will help us.

"It’s about building pressure and not being overawed. 

"(India) are a class team, they’re exceptional batters at home and it’s going to be a big job. 

"But I have no doubt if we get it right for a sustained longer periods we can do some damage."

Following the Sydney Test last month, O’Keefe withdrew from the KFC Big Bash League to focus on bowling with the red ball for the Qantas Tour of India.

The 32-year-old travelled to Brisbane during that time and worked with former England international and fellow southpaw spinner Monty Panesar at the Bupa National Cricket Centre.

Panesar is one of the few foreign spinners to taste a Test series victory in the subcontinent after England broke a 27-year drought when they beat India at home 2-1 on 2012.

Having missed the first Test loss in Ahmedebad, Panesar destroyed India in the second match in Mumbai with 11 wickets as he and off-spinner Graeme Swann claimed 19 of the 20 wickets to fall and England recorded an emphatic 10-wicket win. 

Panesar backed that up with five wickets in the seven-wicket win in the third Test in Kolkata before a draw in Nagpur sealed the historic series victory, the last time India suffered a series defeat on home soil and the only time they’ve been beaten at home in 12 years.

So it’s no surprise that O’Keefe was keen to act as a sponge around the 50-Test veteran and soak up as much intel as possible on how to beat India at their own game on spinning wickets. 

"The keys (Panesar) talked about was being adaptable," O’Keefe said. 

"You’re going to get different wickets, albeit they will be generally slow and spinning, but at times they can play a bit differently. One might be a little bit quicker, one might bounce a bit more. 

"He talked about being able to adapt really quickly and on the spot and also being able to take away the batter’s scoring options in regards to boundaries. 

"He talks about building pressure through being a little bit defensive, which was something that was refreshing to hear."

Along with the information he’s garnered from Herath and Panesar, O’Keefe will draw on his experiences when he toured India in 2015 with Australia A.

The visitors played two four-day matches against India A in Chennai, with O’Keefe the leading wicket-taker with 14 wickets at 20 and a strike rate of 46 in the 1-0 series win.

Perhaps most impressively was not the quantity but the quality of his wickets. Among his 14 victims were current middle-order Test batsman Karun Nair and the big one, captain Virat Kohli, while his spin twin Agar also removed the India skipper. 

But O’Keefe is well aware the challenges of a first-class tour match will be vastly different to those he and his fellow spinners will face in the hostile environment of Test cricket.

"In that line-up there was plenty of guys who are now playing, and have cemented their spot, in that Indian (Test) team," O’Keefe said when reflecting on the ‘A’ tour. 

"They’re class players – (Cheteshwar) Pujara, KL Rahul, Karun Nair and Virat Kohli – so that’s four of their (current) top six (in Test cricket). 

"The positive was we got to play against those guys in those conditions, use an SG ball and compete. 

"We did really well, we were able to win a game and draw a game. 

"It was positive to know that we were able to bowl against these guys, we were able to have some success. 

"Both Ashton and I played over there and were both able to create chances (and) build pressure. 

"I’ll be drawing on that but I also know it’s going to be quite hard. 

"It’s another step up and when these guys are playing for their country they go up another level as well. 

"We’re going to have to match them, if not try and get on top of them if we’re going to win."