Thread by @gauravsabnis

In my cricket watching career, I've never changed my estimation of a player over the years more than Nathan Lyon. 12 years ago I thought him a harmless joke. Now I think of him as the best all-surface test spinner in the world. What a brain. #INDvAUS

Cummins-Lyon is at least as challenging a combination to face as McGrath-Warne, if not a bit more. Maybe a bit more because Lyon is a lot craftier than Warne in my estimation. Warne's strength was the insane turn he got. But you could strategize against him easier than Lyon.

Thing with Warne was, if you survived him in one series, you would likely survive him in subsequent series with roughly similar technique and approach. Lyon keeps evolving. What worked in 2018 against him might not this time.

And look at that wicket. Lyon stalked and hunted Pujara the last few overs. It was like chess between the two. Pujara could not pin down Lyon's general line today. He tried. And few are as capable as him. But he couldn't. Eventually Lyon got his prey. Lovely cricket!
#INDvAUS

The way Lyon extracted this Pujara wicket, almost like a dentist slowly extracting that tricky first molar, was a joy to watch in real time. This spell deserves to be remembered as a classic. These are the kinda side battles that make test cricket the ultimate sport. #INDvAUS

Pujara's dismissal had nothing to do with his scoring rate. It wasn't a frustrated shot. He quite simply got outfoxed by Lyon today. He could've been going run a ball and still have gotten out there. #INDvAUS

Lyon is Number 4 in the all time list of wicket takers against India. Behind Jimmy Anderson, Murali, Imran. I'm pretty sure he'll end his career on top. He's just 24 wickets behind and will outlast Anderson by years. Imagine hearing that in 2008. #INDvAUS