‘Australia will do well against India’

SYDNEY: Former coach Darren Lehmann believes Australia can perform well in their home series against India later this year.India are due to visit Australia for a three-match T20I series in November which will be followed by four Tests.

Australia’s batting heavyweights Steve Smith and David Warner are serving their 12-month suspensions for their roles in the ball-tampering controversy that erupted during their Test match against South Africa in March.

In their absence, there has been talk of how the hosts will struggle. Australia lost the Test series to South Africa and were whitewashed 5-0 by England in a recent ODI series.Lehmann, however, backed the depth in the Australian ranks.“A lot of people are writing us off in Australia. I’m not. We’re going to be OK,” he told Macquarie Sports Radio.

“Obviously, Warner and Smith are great players, and [Cameron] Bancroft was starting to come good in the last series. You’re going to miss those players and when they’re back they’re certainly going to have an effect on the team and results because they’ll play well. But our depth, it just gives another player an opportunity, a young kid coming through.”

Lehmann also backed the bowling attack comprising Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, James Pattinson and Nathan Lyon to perform well.“The bowling is never going to be an issue. When you’ve got Starc, Hazlewood, Cummins, Lyon, Pattinson, you’re 20 wickets aren’t going to be an issue, and that’s the first thing you need for Test match cricket,” he said.

In March, Lehmann announced that he would stand down as Australia’s coach after the final Test against South Africa.Lehmann added that a balance needed to be struck between aggression and sportsmanship.“It will certainly help win the fans back over, and that’s important because we want kids playing the great game of cricket, but you also need to win, win a certain way,” he said.—