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Australia, under Pat Cummins, are all set to play a four-match Test series against India, starting on February 9. The Kangaroos are coming to India to take back the Border Gavaskar Trophy they lost in 2017. India had defeated Australia 2-1 under Virat Kohli in 2017 and then successfully retained it on the next two occasions as well. Now, Australia will have a chance to take the trophy back. 

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But it will be an uphill task, beating India in India. The last time Australia won a Test series in India was way back in 2005. Since then, India have been successful in keeping the Aussies devoid of a series win here. Former Australia spinner, Steve O’Keefe who was a part of the squad during the 2017-18 India tour has alarmed Pat Cummins and Co. as the Kangaroos get ready to take on the Rohit Sharma-led team.

The left-arm orthodox who played a crucial role in Australia’s solitary win during Australia’s last tour explained why it is difficult to beat India in India and also shared a couple of suggestions for his countryman. O’Keefe has said that Indian batters are rock solid in their defence which they use to break down the opposition bowlers. 

“These guys just break you down mentally, physically, not by playing big shots and taking the game away from you, but by just slowly chipping away getting singles, getting off the strike,” said the O’Keefe while speaking to Sydney Herald. 

“Their forward defence seemed impenetrable. At times, you’re like ‘I can’t see a way of getting past…’ These guys were just bulletproof in their defence and had a way of manipulating the scoreboard to keep it moving, keep getting off the strike and at times it felt like whatever plans you had were a bit redundant,” he added.

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The former spinner then suggested that Australia will need to grab all those rare opportunities the hosts will give them. “It’s just interesting over there, you’ve just got to get ahead of the game, and it’s very hard to get ahead in India. But that’s the key.” O’Keefe said.

“They very rarely give you an opportunity. And when you can sniff it, you’ve got to take full advantage of it. You’ve got to try and find a way to accelerate the game, so you’re so far ahead of them that they’re coming from well behind.” he added.