Saker's words of wisdom for Aussies

One of the architects behind India’s last Test series defeat on home soil says Australia’s senior players must stand up if the tourists are to pull off an upset win in the subcontinent.

Assistant coach David Saker was England’s bowling coach in 2012 when Alastair Cook’s men beat India 2-1 to record their first win in India since David Gower’s side won by the same margin in 1984-85.

Quick Single: Lyon turns to spin rival for tips

And as Australia's most capped Test player on the tour, Nathan Lyon fits firmly into that 'senior' category, alongside captain Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner and pace spearheads Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.

Of that quintet, only Hazlewood hasn’t played a Test in India, while the other four featured in the disastrous 2013 series in which Australia lost 4-0 and suspended four players for failing to complete their ‘homework’.

Lyon, who claimed his best bowling figures in a Test innings during that series but was dropped for the first time in his career in the Baggy Green, says Saker has spoken to the group about his experiences in 2012 and the importance of the squad’s seasoned campaigners leading the way.

Quick Single: Worst Aussie team to tour India: Harbhajan

“(Saker) has spoken a fair bit about (2012) but he’s just really hit down the point that all the senior players need to stand up,” Lyon said on Tuesday ahead of Australia’s first training session in Pune.

“In tough series, senior players need to stand up.

"You look at all the past success (foreign) teams have had over here it’s all been about the senior players standing up, playing some really good cricket and leading from the front and making sure the younger guys come into the team really come through and follow in their footsteps.”

In England's 2012 success, Cook, in his first series as Test captain, was a proverbial run-machine, amassing 562 runs, with three centuries in four matches.

The skipper was ably supported by the mercurial Kevin Pietersen (338 runs), rock-solid first-drop Jonathan Trott (294) and wicketkeeper-batsman Matt Prior (258 runs in five innings) in building commanding totals and keeping ace spinner Ravi Ashwin at bay, who averaged 52.64 and struck every 102 deliveries.

With the ball, the spin duo of Graeme Swann (20 wickets in four Tests) and Monty Panesar (17 wickets in three Tests) consistently built pressure, regularly claimed Indian wickets and stood up to batting giants the likes of Tendulkar, Kohli and Sehwag.

Quick Single: Balance tips in favour of Renshaw

Travel back eight years further to 2004 and India’s second most recent home Test defeat where Australia ended a 35-year drought in the subcontinent with a 2-1 series victory.

Adam Gilchrist, stand-in skipper for the injured Ricky Ponting, set the tone for the series with a sparkling 104 in the 217-run first Test win in Bangalore.

Elegant veteran batsman Damien Martyn (444 runs) was in sublime touch in 2004 as Australia’s leading run-scorer in that four-Test series, while the tour saw the emergence of a youngster by the name of Michael Clarke, who scored 400 runs and a debut century.

Quick Single: Batsman Boof shows Aussies the way

Champion bowling trio Jason Gillespie (20 wickets), Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne (14 each) led with the ball as Australia wrapped up their first Test series in India since Bill Lawry’s men in 1969 with a match to spare.

And in their only other home Test series defeat this century, India lost 2-0 to Hansie Cronje’s South Africa, who swept the hosts in February-March 2000.

On that tour, Proteas greats Gary Kirsten and Shaun Pollock - who were well established in the national team then - led the way in terms of runs and wickets respectively for the visitors.