"They are not lower order" - Nathan Lyon impressed by Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin's batting on Day 2 in Delhi

Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon heaped praise on Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin after their crucial partnership on day two of the second Test in Delhi. The veteran spinner feels they are frontline batters and could easily fit into any of the top six line-up in the world.

India found themselves in a hole after Australia reduced them to 139-7, trailing the tourists by 123 runs. Axar and Ashwin joined hands to forge a partnership of 114 and take India closer to Australia's total. Eventually, India trailed Australia by just one run by the time the visitors bowled them out.

Speaking after the day's play, the 35-year-old said he was in awe of Axar and Ashwin's batting. He reflected on his fifer, claiming that he loves playing in the sub-continent and the challenge of bowling to world-class players. Lyon said:

"They are not lower order – Axar, Ash could easily bat in top-6 anywhere in the world, they are not lower order, India have long top order. Very happy with the five-for, we have got the whole eye in the test match, still a lot more work to do.

"There was a lot more bounce in Delhi as compared to Nagpur. Little bit of bounce is something I like to exploit here, I love playing cricket here in the subcontinent. It is a challenge to bowl here bowling at some world-class superstars."

The New South Wales bowler dismissed KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, and Cheteshwar Pujara in the first hour. He returned to remove Shreyas Iyer and KS Bharat to become the first Aussie bowler to complete 100 Test wickets versus India.

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"Bowling spin anywhere around the world is just consistency" - Nathan Lyon

Nathan Lyon. (Image Credits: Getty)

Lyon also underlined that bowling spin in any condition is about landing the ball on the same spot repeatedly and challenging the batters' defenses. He added:

"Bowling spin anywhere around the world is just consistency and being able to land the ball in the same spot over and over and be able to challenge their defence for long periods of time. Bowling around the wicket in this game I'm still trying to target off stump.

"That's my goal. If you understand cricket, you'll understand what I'm trying to do and trying to get them defending because we know how good the Indian batters are. If I can make them defend, hopefully I'll create a few chances here and there."

Australia reached 61-1 at the close, leading by 62 runs. They will have to stretch their lead beyond 150 to stand a chance of winning the Test.