Ind vs Aus: Nathan Lyon says he is happy to prove he can compete against the best in the world

Bengaluru:It was a perfect day for the Aussies and a magical one for Nathan Lyon after he scripted his career best figure on Saturday at Chinnaswamy stadium. Scalping 8/50, the offie said that he wants to time-and-again prove to himself that he can go against some of the best in the world.

"I don't need to prove to anyone else in the world. I just want to prove myself that I am good enough and I can compete hard. It was a very good day today and very fortunate enough to bowl in great partnership with the other bowlers. I was the lucky one on the day I guess," he said.

On Australia getting India out cheaply in the last three innings, Lyon said the visiting side worked on their plans and did their basics well as they knew India are a talented side.

"We sat down as a team and we know how good India are. We wanted to come out and compete hard against India and I think we are doing that at the moment. Cricket is a funny game and they are a talented squad with full of superstars so we need to keep working on our plans and do our basics well," he said.

"We have got that belief in ourselves and the atmosphere in the change room is unbelievable at the moment. If we can keep doing that then there will be some good days for Australia."

Lyon said the pitch helped his traditional way of bowling and he and Steve O'Keefe hoped to do the same in the second innings.

"Yeah, I think so. We had to access the condition and adapt to it early. Steve O'Keefe was able to get some deliveries jump, so I wanted to look at my bowling. I put some over-spin on my balls and tried to get some good bounce. So it was quite pleasing and hope we do the same in the second innings and take another 10 wickets," he said. "The Indians are brilliant players of spin. SOK (O'Keefe) and the other spinners and myself just said we have to stay patient and build balls. You look at Rangana Herath, one of the best spinners in the world, and what does he do: he hits the same spot over and over again.

"He said to me after the series in Sri Lanka: 'I don't know if they're going to spin either.' So I'm working on the same plan as Rangana and he's going alright," Lyon said.

"I'm over the moon with what happened today. I will go back and reflect on it. I've proven enough to myself that I can compete at this level and I want to keep doing that for Australia. This is where my passion lies and I want to keep doing well for Australia," he said.

Asked how soon the pitch is likely to deteriorate, Lyon said it's an interesting wicket as he did not expect so many cracks on day one, but hoped that his team bats well tomorrow.

"I would say the wicket deteriorates if there is cricket being played on it I guess. Interesting wicket. It's what we expected over here. We knew we were not going to have much grass on the wicket. I did not expect so many cracks on day one but they're there," he said.

"I will reassess the wicket after both teams bat on it. It's hard to criticise one team when only one team has batted on it. The wicket is going to deteriorate and hopefully we can bat well tomorrow and get to wherever we get to and come out and do the same thing we did today: bowl in partnerships, be patient and do the basics really well," he said.

Lyon said after the Sri Lanka tour he worked very hard in the lead up to the Big Bash League games and credited John Davison and Darren Berry for working on his strength. He also said that he studied what Indian off-spinner R Ashwin does.

"I have to be brutally true ... After the tour of Sri Lanka I went home and reflected on my performance there. I worked very very hard in the lead up to the BBL games. I was going down to the matches two hours before and bowling in the nets. John Davison and Darren Berry worked on my strength and obviously I studied what Ashwin does," he said.

"He is one of the best spinners in the world. Credit has to go to John Davison and Darren Berry for putting in hard work and it's very satisfying to perform like this," he added.

On Australia having more experience with DRS, Lyon said that three players -- Mathew Wade, Steve Smith and the bowler -- decide whether to go for it or not.

"I suppose so. We've played a fair amount of cricket over the last few years with DRS but it's up to the individual. We've got a really good platform now: we go straight to Matt Wade, the bowler and Steve Smith. Those three decide, and there's no other real input unless someone has seen something pretty obvious. DRS is here to stay; we've just got to use it to our advantage," he said.
Replying to a query, Lyon said he did not change anything in his bowling and was happy the way he bowled in Pune in the first Test and it was a privilege to work with Steve O'Keefe.

"We are different bowlers and we are good mates. We want to see each other doing well. I am pretty lucky to be part of a strong bowling attack which include Mitch Starc and Mitch Marsh," he said.

Asked whether today's spell tops Adelaide Oval win, Lyon said, "No, it does not top it. Obviously that Test match was pretty special for other reasons, but we don't need to go into that right now. This is very special, don't get me wrong. I don't think it has hit me because for the last hour I was padded up as nightwatchman.

"This is actually the first time I've smiled. I'm very lucky to be able to take eight wickets that's for sure but there's still another 10 wickets out there that we need to take as a team," he said.

"It's all about Australia's success. I don't care who takes wickets. As long as we're taking wickets as a bowling unit, and hopefully we're winning games of cricket."

On Australia's 2013 tour of India, Lyon said he learnt a lot on and off the field.

"I learnt a lot on and off the field. It's about learning to play cricket in tough conditions; it's the toughest place to play cricket, we know that. You're outside your comfort zone. If we can stay in a tight bubble, and keep doing the basics really well and compete hard, we know it's going to be a tough series," he said