Cowan is confident Australia can bounce back and end the series as a 2-2 draw

Despite being 2-0 down in the ongoing four-Test series against India, Australia opening batsman Ed Cowan believes his side still have the chance of salvaging a draw and retaining some of their dignity.

India’s spin trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Pragyan Ojha have continuously tormented Australia throughout the Test series, but Cowan is confident that the Australian batsmen have what it takes to render them useless.

“They’re very skillful bowlers in these conditions and they will be a major part of India trying to win the series but we’re confident that we can blunt them and attack them,” Cowan said.

Cowan also noted that Australia had carefully studied England’s tour of India last year and everyone had agreed that the best way to play the Indian spinners was to be aggressive against them.

“What’s really important is to put pressure on them,” Cowan added. “We saw in the England series that when they settled in they were able to dictate terms but the guys who did well against them looked to attack them and we’ll look to do the same.”

Cowan himself admitted that prior to the start of the series, he was constantly working on playing spin, especially since India have the tendency to use their spinners early into a match.

“We’ve had a little bit of a break from first class cricket back home so we’ve had 5-6 weeks off which have been a spin-intensive batting camp that I’ve held with my coaches looking for ways to improve my game against spin,” Cowan said. “I’ve tinkered with a few things and found some really good improvements that I look forward to putting into place.”

The opening batsman continues to draw inspiration from former Australian opener Matthew Hayden and the way he used to manhandle the Indian spinners.

“I think it’s hard not to be inspired by him for me and for any aspiring Australian cricketer coming through international cricket,” Cowan said. “The way he performed in 2001 was incredible.

“The way he found a way to put pressure on the Indian bowlers was brilliant. For him it was the sweep shot. I think it’s a question of finding your shot with which you can put pressure on the bowlers and having the courage and the confidence to stick to it.

“I’ve felt comfortable over the last 14 months and I’m looking to hopefully score heavily in the series.”

While Cowan has always been known as the more controlled member of Australia’s opening pair, he noted that it will continue to be the case and added that he could never mimic what David Warner does since it is such a unique art.

“I don’t think my plans would differ too much against the new ball,” Cowan said. “I think the most important thing here is if you get a start, you need to go on. So if you get in, make the most of it. I’ve obviously got specific plans for each bowler and I’ve been working really hard on away going spin.

“I will look to hold fort but I’m at my best when I’m positive and I think I showed that against South Africa. I was playing well against the best attack in the world and I was looking to play on my terms. It depends on the situations and the conditions in which you bat.”