Melbourne, Nov 13 (IANS) India's win over Australia has broken their aura of invincibility with even New Zealand, who are touring Down Under, declaring world champions are indeed beatable.
Australia will try to regain its touch of supremacy when they face New Zealand in the two Test-series starting Nov 20 which will be followed by five one-day internationals and Twenty20.
New Zealand pacer Chris Martin felt Australians can be defeated because of their depleted bowling attack sans Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath. He said that the Kiwis have planned a similar bowling strategy which was used effectively by Indian fast bowlers Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan to rattle the Australian top-order.
'I think when you lose two once-in-a-generation players who bowl in tandem so well you're going to feel a bit of a hole there for a while,' Martin was quoted as in The Age.
New Zealand is expected to go with a four-prong pace attack in the opening Test in Brisbane- teenager Tim Southee, Ian O'Brien, Kyle Mills and Martin - who missed the Bangladesh tour with a hamstring injury.
'I saw some incredible deliveries bowled (in India). The level that some of those guys - Sharma and Zaheer - were bowling at, I think we need to look at ourselves and work out whether we can bowl those wicket-taking balls as well,' Martin said.
'We know we've got the firepower, it's a matter of stringing it together on a more day-to-day basis, which is basically what Australia does.'
Martin said he is expecting some verbal onslaught from Australia before the start of the series, to get a moral edge.
'It's a fighting talk that's always going to be there before a Test series. I think they'll definitely have a few personal points to prove,' Martin said.
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