Australia’s Nathan Lyon happy to carry spin legacy following Shane Warne’s death

Nathan Lyon admits feeling responsible for carrying on the craft of spin bowling left behind by late veteran cricketer Shane Warne. Speaking ahead of the marquee Test series against India starting late November (22), Lyon said he felt his duty to keep the spin bowling ‘cool’ after Warne’s sudden death two years ago.

With 530 Test wickets to his name, Lyon, 36, insists he has no plans to retire soon, with him eyeing a series win in India and England before hanging his boots.

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Although Lyon admitted he is not worried about spin bowling after he goes or who takes over his place in the Test side, the right-arm spinner wants to be the flag-bearer of this section of bowling till he’s actively playing.

"I do see the responsibility of flying the flag for the spinners around the country, there is no hiding behind that," Lyon said."Especially with the passing of Warnie, I feel like there is a big role for me to ensure that spin stays cool.

"I am not cool in any way, but if I can try and promote spin bowling and promote how great it is to be a spin bowler ... it's pretty cool,” he continued.

Meanwhile, much like Warnie, who was known for his unbelievable skillset and more so for his longevity, having played and dominated in the pace-bowling era since his debut, Lyon falls under the same bracket, having played 100 Tests straight, although he missed a few Tests during the away Ashes last year with a rare calf injury.

Lyon revealed a close-net conversation with his father helped him realise the duty to promote spin bowling since Warne’s death.

"Just having that conversation and understanding we're role models in so many different ways to so many different people around the world," he said."And if we can do our little bit to hopefully make people better cricketers or people, we're doing our job."

Lyon up for Border-Gavaskar series

Having last won the BGT nearly a decade ago at home, Lyon is keen on tasting success against the high-flying Indian Team again. Given India beat Australia in Australia twice in the past two outings, an unbelievable feat, they will enter the contest this time as firm favourites.

The first Test begins in Perth, with Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney scheduled to host the remaining ones.

Meanwhile, India and Australia are leading the World Test Championship (WTC) standings in the current cycle.

(With inputs from agencies)