Ever since their forgettable 2005 Ashes loss in England, reverse-swing gets routinely mentioned in Australian dressing-rooms, more so when they travel to the sub-continent. Last time when Australia visited India, Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma ended up with combined tally of 26 wickets as the Aussie batsmen were foxed by the SG ball's early reverse movement.
So it doesn't come as a surprise to discover that openers Shane Watson and Simon Katich, who fell prey to the the Indian pace duo quite often last time around, have been busy watching videos of the 2008 tour Test. Watson believes that an integral part of his team's success will depend on how their batsmen tackle with the reverse-swing.
"Facing up to the new ball that is reversing is very hard. And that's exactly what the Indian fast bowlers did successfully last time around. We are expecting much of the same this time," says the 29-year-old all-rounder.
While facing new balls, which are intentionally scuffed up, in the nets does help, Katich says a reversing ball in the middle is more difficult to handle. "The batsman has just half-a-second to react, and the only way out is to try and adjust to the ball's behaviour late. While your partner at the non-striker's end can help you out at times, you basically have to make that last-ditch adjustment," says the 35-year-old.
Coach Tim Nielsen, meanwhile, is hoping his bowlers will give the hosts a taste of their own medicine. "(In 2008) We lost out on an attacking option as our bowlers couldn't do what Zaheer and Ishant managed to so well. But Mitch (Johnson) has been around for 3-4 years now there are many players who have been in India for the IPL and the Champions League and know the conditions well," he says.
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