How watching Virat Kohli videos helped Australia A star deal with Indian spinners
Nathan McSweeney used YouTube videos of Virat Kohli and Steve Smith to prepare for the challenge of batting against spin in India. His preparation proved effective as the Australia A batsman topped the run charts in the one-day series against India A to help his team secure a 2-1 win in Puducherry.McSweeney scored 194 runs in three innings at an average of 64.66 and a strike rate of 83.62. His consistent performances also earned him the Player of the Series award.
McSweeney reveals how he prepared for Indian conditions
McSweeney explained that studying how top batsmen manage spin was an important part of his preparation for the tour. He also relied on analytics and data shared by the team’s support staff.“I think obviously coming to India as an Australian it’s a heavy focus on spin and you try to work hard and watch great Indian players play spin,” McSweeney told the host station after the white-ball series ended on Sunday.“(I watch) Virat Kohli on YouTube trying to study how he goes about it, Steve Smith, other Australians who have come in and done really well. So there’s a lot of analytics and data that we have as well. So it’s nice to do it in the middle and execute it pretty well.”The batter used his preparation well against the Indian spinners. He used his feet effectively, played sweeps and stepped out of the crease to disrupt the bowlers’ plans. His ability to play the ball delicately into the gaps has also helped him score consistently on challenging surfaces.
Australia A won the one-day series 2–1
Australia A started the series with a 125 run victory. After scoring 274, they bowled out India A for 149.The visitors then won the second match by 69 runs, scoring 275 before restricting India A to 206.India A prevented Australia A from completing a clean sweep by winning the third match by 49 runs. India A posted 275 and dismissed Australia A for 226.Australia A still won the series 2–1, with McSweeney’s batting proving crucial to their success.Reflecting on the achievement, McSweeney said the series win in India was a special result for the visiting side.“I’m very happy to come here in good conditions and spend some time in the middle which is always nice and winning a series in India is no easy task for any international team,” said McSweeney. “It’s a very tough place to come and play cricket against tough competition always. So yeah, our boys are doing well and it’s nice to win the series.”
McSweeney wants to improve in long format cricket
Before the one-day series, McSweeney found it difficult to convert his starts into big scores in the unofficial Test series. Australia A lost that series 0-1 and the batsman said he wants to learn from those performances.“I think I missed a couple of those games in the first innings,” McSweeney said. “We saw everybody watching the four-day stuff as the game went on, it was really hard to bat. So I think I got a couple of thirties in the second innings of both those games.“But I think what counts, especially playing cricket in India, is the first innings of long cricket if you can make a big score there. Not only is it probably easier to bat, but it also sets your team up to win the game. So, hopefully I’ll get another opportunity to come back here. I’ll really try to focus on that.”
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