The 47-year-old, who took over the national team in 2013 after Mickey Arthur was sacked, believed touring India is one of the biggest challenges a cricket coach can have
Australian coach Darren Lehmann is one of the few people in world cricket currently who has a taste of winning in India.
Lehmann was part of the Australian squad in 2004 that defeated India in their own backyard. Led by Adam Gilchrist, the Aussies beat the hosts 2-1 in a four-match series. Since that series, Australia haven't won a single Test in the country, losing eight and drawing two in the ensuring three tours.
Lehmann, thus, will hope to use all his experience of the 2004 series to find chinks in the Indian armour.
One of the biggest aspects that clicked for the Aussies in that series was their fast bowling attack, with the pace trio of Jason Gillespie, Glenn McGrath and Michael Kasprowicz taking 43 wickets among themselves. But they had another big weapon: Shane Warne. The legendary bowler kept sending down his leggies from one end, building up pressure for the pacers' to do the rest from the other end.
"In 2004, we had a world class bowler in Shane Warne as well. We could actually play with one spinner then, he could bowl one end all day. So that was probably the reason (why we won) in 2004," Lehmann said on Tuesday.
Cut to 2017. Their tactics can no longer revolve around a certain Shane Warne. They'll have to play more than just one spinner, build pressure from both ends, pick up wickets from both ends to challenge the Indian batsmen in this series.
"In this day and age, we've got to work out what our best attack is to get 20 wickets. Whether it's an all-rounder and two spinners or an extra spinning all-rounder, we'll wait and see what wicket we get in Pune. We could end up playing three quicks anyway with Jackson Bird.
"So, it really just gives us some options. They're all young kids and they're all going to learn. Nathan Lyon is our premier spinner, and we expect him to bowl very well for us," Lehmann said.
The 47-year-old, who took over the national team in 2013 after Mickey Arthur was sacked, believed touring India is one of the biggest challenges a cricket coach can have.
"It's a challenge for the whole group. For us as a side, the support staff and players, we've all got a common goal of playing well here. We're not focussing too much on results. We just want to play as well as we can," Lehmann said.
"Starting well in the first Test in Pune is going to be the key, and starting here with the warm-up game as well. So, the preparations have been good. I'm really happy with where the boys are at. Then it's just a case of going out and playing well. It's an exciting tour, it's a great place to tour, great people, great fans. So it's a great challenge for the side. As a coach, the whole group is excited by the challenge ahead," he said.
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 "Darren Lehmann")
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