Hyderabad: Adjusting to the conditions and improvising quickly to challenging situations would be the key to India's success in what promises to be a tough tour Down Under come December, feels former Australia pacer Michael Kasprowicz.
Kasprowicz feels Indian team is "talented" but it would have to be at its best as far as adapting to conditions is concerned.
"The conditions in Australia are different because there is extra bounce in the wickets; so it's about adjusting your skills. You certainly can't play the way you play on your own conditions and that's the crucial part," he said.
"It's always a challenge when you are entering a different environment. The Australian team found that while coming and playing in India in 1998, when I was part of the team and in 2001. It wasn't until in 2004, where we adjusted suit the conditions and I think that's the crucial thing for India," he said.
Kasprowicz, who is currently, a director in the Board of Cricket Australia said the current Indian team is fantastic. Asked about India's Test debacle in England recently, he said, "The players in the Indian side are so talented that they can come out and dominate and there's no question about that. I think for Australia to take it lightly would be a big mistake. But, I don't think that coach Darren Lehman or captain Michael Clarke will actually do that."
Asked if it will be a tough for Indian batsmen to face the Aussie pace attack considering the likes of Mitchell Johnson, Kasprowicz said, "It will be a tough tour. There will be a home ground advantage definitely but I think there is plenty of talent in the Indian side and as long as they adjust to their skills quickly and put some pressure on the Australian team, I think the results could be surprising."
Speaking about Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Kasprowicz said, "players like Dhoni are extremely dangerous. They are once-in-a-generation players, I think M S Dhoni is a special player." Asked whether the IPL was "killing" Test cricket as has been claimed by some critics of the event, he said, "Twenty20 is fantastic. Because what it's doing is it's getting people talking about cricket. And it is introducing the game in 20 over form to people who don't follow longer form."
