India would steamroll Australia without David Warner and Steve Smith: Jeff Thomson

Australian legendary fast bowler Jeff Thomson predicted a convincing win for India in the Test series against the Australians, sans David Warner and Steve Smith when they tour the country this month.

Thomson opined that without the services of Warner and Smith, the Australian batting is nothing less than average. Smith, Warner along with Cameron Bancroft were handed 12-month bans for being involved in the infamous ball-tampering scandal that shook Australian cricket earlier this year.

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“You (India) have a solid team, a very good fast bowling unit and you should win if you play hard in the upcoming series. There is no reason why you should not steamroll Australia which will be without Smith and Warner. Without these two, the Australian batting line-up is very average,” he said, while speaking on the ‘The Death of Test Fast Bowler’, at the Ekamra Sports Literary Festival in Bhuvneshwar on Friday.

“You see the footwork of the Australians during the series against Pakistan (in the UAE which they lost 0-1). They lack technique, they just want to smack the ball out of the park, which is due to playing too many T20 and ODI matches,” he added.

The four-match Test series between India and Australia begins on December 6 in Adelaide.

A veteran of 51 Test matches where he had 200 scalps to his name, Thomson admitted the fact that although the ball-tampering scandal brought a lot of shame to Australian cricket, the 12-month bans on Warner and Smith weren’t justified.

“Banning them for such a long period of 12 months is ridiculous. I heard that the ban was to be for six months but one person (the Australian Prime Minister) who has no business in the issue called up and it was changed to 12 months,” he said.

Speaking on the rising stature of Virat Kohli as a world class cricketer, he said, “I feel Virat Kohli is emerging as a great player but he might have played differently in an earlier time. These days, a batsman will not score for two overs and then score a boundary with a stupid shot. At times, not getting out is the mindset of a batsmen

“I think other team members (than Kohli) should play tough cricket like he plays. When he is out, other members should show the fighting spirit. If you score 300-350 you should win (in Australia),” he added.

He also spoke on the different speed measurement method used these days where he stated that he would have clocked 175 km/hr had he been an active cricketer.

“During my time, the speed was measured at the impact of the ball with the bat and now it is done when the ball leaves the hand. I think I must have clocked 175 km/hr in the current measurement system,” he said.

“Many a times when I bowled at the WACA, the ball used to bounce past the batsman to hit the side screen,” he further added.

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