India targeted two big Oz weaknesses: Kirsten
Coach Gary Kirsten had picked two key weaknesses that Team India targeted in the Test series: Nathan Hauritz and Australia's middle-order batting.
After his side completed a 2-0 sweep, relegating Australia to an all-time low fifth place in the ICC rankings, Kirsten explained his plans for success to the Heral, Sydney in Kochi.
"There's no doubt within our strategies - every team does that - you identify their weaknesses, and you try and exploit that," Kirsten said. "There were a number of areas we felt we could exploit, and we did that very successfully in the two Test matches.
"We looked at Hauritz; his record suggests he's done quite well for the Aussies, so we had a close look at him and what he could offer. He'll probably be the first to admit (but) I don't think he bowled as well as he would have liked to. He was a bit inconsistent.
"We certainly discussed and felt that it was going to be important to target him. The Indians are exceptional players of spin. You need to have good spinners coming here.
"The wickets were offering more assistance to the spinners than they were the seamers, unless you were swinging the ball prodigiously, and it played into our hands."
Kirsten dismissed the high averages of other spinners in India, including Shane Warne (43.11) and Muttiah Muralitharan (45.45). "I think if you're worth your salt as a spinner, you can make a play here," he said.
"It's not easy but whenever we play in India we pick two spinners and two seamers. The spinners do a critical job in playing a holding role and striking."
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