Veteran Australian spinner Nathan Lyon has made his intentions clear: he wants to win a Test series in India before he retires. While he already boasts a decorated Test career with over 530 wickets, Lyon believes a win on Indian soil would be the defining moment of his cricket legacy.
Lyon says winning in India is his top priority
Nathan Lyon, currently ranked 8th in the ICC Test bowling rankings, has been Australia’s premier off-spinner since his debut in 2011. Despite his success, India remains a frontier unconquered. Australia has not won a Test series in India since 2004 — a 2-1 victory under Adam Gilchrist — making it over two decades since the Aussies lifted a trophy on Indian soil.
Lyon has toured India three times (2013, 2017, and 2023). His best performance came in 2017, where he picked up 19 wickets in 4 Tests, including a career-best 8/50 in Bengaluru. In 2023, despite his 22 wickets, Australia lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2-1, reinforcing Lyon’s frustration.
“One of my biggest goals is to win a Test series in India. That would be the pinnacle,” Lyon told ABP Live.
Veteran spinner not ready to retire yet
Despite turning 37 this year, Nathan Lyon shows no signs of slowing down. He recently became only the eighth bowler in Test history to cross 500 wickets, joining legends like Muralitharan, Shane Warne, and Anil Kumble. With 530 wickets in 129 matches, Lyon is already Australia’s most successful off-spinner.
Lyon missed the last three Ashes Tests in 2023 due to a calf injury, but returned strong in the summer of 2024–25, taking 21 wickets in the 3-Test series against West Indies at home. His match fitness and performance have silenced retirement rumors.
He said, “I still have the hunger to compete, especially in tough conditions like the subcontinent.”
Focused on legacy and subcontinent success
Nathan Lyon has always been a bowler who thrives on challenges. He has taken 138 wickets in Asia — more than any other non-Asian spinner in modern cricket. His average of 30.87 in India is impressive, considering the struggles many foreign bowlers face on Indian pitches.
Cricket Country reported that Lyon’s final ambition is to lead Australia to a Test series victory in India — a feat no Aussie spinner has managed since Shane Warne tried in the early 2000s.
With India-Australia Tests likely in 2026, Lyon is already preparing mentally and physically to make that his legacy tour.
Conclusion
Nathan Lyon cricket story is already legendary — 530+ wickets, 23 five-wicket hauls, and key wins across continents. But his personal scoreboard remains incomplete without a win in India.
For Nathan Lyon, conquering the Indian fortress would not just be another feather in the cap — it would be the ultimate validation of his greatness in Test cricket.
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