India vs Australia: The quiet rise of Nathan Lyon amid the din of Ravichandran Ashwin

The year 2011 was a crucial one for the fortunes of two cricket crazy nations, India and Australia. While the ICC World Cup success at home put a definitive stamp on India’s rise as the world’s top limited overs team, it also ended a decade-long domination of the format by the Australians.

As far as Test cricket was concerned, Australia entered a new phase as Michael Clarke took over the reins from Ricky Ponting after a demoralising Ashes loss at home under Ricky Ponting. India under MS Dhoni had become the world’s top Test playing nation on the back of good performances at home, but a whitewash in England brought the high-flyers crashing back on the ground.

While the world of cricket was changing around them, two off-spinners made their maiden bow in Test cricket. Nathan Lyon, a groundsman who landed a job as a professional cricketer after impressing a local coach, picked up a wicket with his first ball in Test cricket and his five-for in the first innings of the first Test against Sri Lanka guided the Aussies to victory at the picturesque stadium in Galle. Just two months later Ravichandran Ashwin picked up 9 wickets in New Delhi to record the second most prolific bowling figures on debut for India and helped his team beat West Indies.

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Both men would square off against each other a month later as India toured Australia with the hopes of resurrecting their away record. What followed was another nightmare for MS Dhoni’s team as they were whitewashed 0-4. Both Lyon and Ashwin had little to do in the series on wickets that mostly assisted pace bowlers. In three Test matches they both played, Lyon accounted for 7 Indian wickets while Ashwin ended with 9 Aussie scalps.

The wily Ravichandran Ashwin would go on to grow his repertoire as an executor of magic tricks with a red cherry in his hand in the years that followed. The deception and chicanery of his spin often exposing gaping holes in the technique of the best batsmen in the world. But most of these exploits came at home, as Ashwin began to come out of the shadow of India’s greatest spinner Anil Kumble and became this generation’s biggest match winner.

When you have the biggest fan base on the face of this planet and a hungry media looking to create ‘Superheroes’ in an industry (read cricket) which is the biggest money spinner, certain achievements often get magnified. With Ashwin running through batting orders on minefields at home, he was soon knighted as the world’s best spinner.

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But the louder the din grew about his reputation as the world’s best, the more frustrating his performances became outside the sub-continent as India continued to struggle. While the losses were mostly on account of poor application by the batsmen, Ashwin would more often than not be a pale shadow of himself when he travelled across the oceans.

Ashwin raced his way to become the fastest to 250 and then 300 Test wickets. Till the end of the first Test in Adelaide between India and Australia, Ashwin had picked 342 wickets in 65 matches at an average of 25.43 and strike rate of 53.7. The same strike rate goes up to 90 and the average shoots up to 43.37 when you look at his performances in the 16 Test matches he has played in the testing conditions in Australia, South Africa and England in his 7-year Test career.

Lyon’s record on the other hand has been more conservative. After the Perth Test, where he played a starring role by picking up 8 wickets to help the Aussies make a stunning comeback in the series, Lyon had picked 334 wickets in 82 matches at an average of 31.6 and strike rate of 62.35. His performance in tough tours of South Africa, New Zealand and England has been pretty identical to his overall numbers. 63 wickets from 19 Tests at an average of 33.2 and strike rate 65.3. His performance in India during this phase has also been good, although they haven’t resulted in any big series win.

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The moot point of this comparison is to show how Lyon has managed to hold his own across all surfaces, while Ashwin has mostly floundered when faced with tough conditions. Lyon might not have picked wickets like a machine but his ingenuity and dexterity as a spinner is second to none. What is even better is that the spinner has reserved his best over the years against the Indians and hit them when and where it hurt the most.

Many readers may question the need to compare two great spinners, as their individual numbers and performance are enough to prove their respective potency. But sometimes comparison are needed to further establish the credentials of those who often don’t get their due.

With their respective Test careers almost at the same stage, both Ashwin and Lyon have a great opportunity at Melbourne and Sydney to further grow their individual legends and provide a fitting end to an enthralling Test series.