Touring spinners have endured a pretty rough trot on Australian soil over the past decade.

Graeme Swann retired following 2013’s Perth hiding, while fellow English tweaker Mooen Ali averaged 115.00 with the ball during the following Ashes tour in 2017/18.

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Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah has conceded more than 150 runs in an innings on four occasions, while Mason Crane, Scott Borthwick and Karn Sharma never played Test cricket again after their forgettable debuts in Australia.

Time and time again, touring spinners have failed to tame Australia’s counterattacking middle order or the pace-friendly decks – the lone exception being Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.

Since the start of 2014, the Indian duo has collectively taken 44 wickets at 31.45 with an economy rate of 2.67 in Australia. During that same period, spin bowlers from other nations averaged 78.81 with an economy rate of 3.99.

Despite receiving minimal assistance from the surface, Ashwin and Jadeja have kept Australia’s world-class batters quiet while making crucial breakthroughs; their probing spells were pivotal during India’s previous two visits, the historic triumphs of 2018/19 and 2020/21.

Ashwin relies on drift and flight to deceive his opposition through the air, while Jadeja subtly manipulates the release angle by varying his arm height and crease position.

They’re almost unplayable on the subcontinent’s turning decks, but they posses the skills required to pose a threat on any surface. However, of Ashwin’s 536 Test wickets, only 19.2 per cent were taken outside Asia, with Jadeja marginally better at 21.3 per cent.

Test bowling average for touring spinners in Australia since 2014

India – 36.70

England – 64.60

New Zealand – 71.94

Pakistan – 84.45

West Indies – 85.76

South Africa – 97.00

Sri Lanka – 116.33

Ashwin will face off against Australian veteran Nathan Lyon for an eighth time this summer, with their rivalry dating back to the 2011/12 whitewash.

Their international careers have mirrored each other in many ways; they made their Test debuts in the same year, and both claimed their 500th wickets last summer.

However, Ashwin quashed accusations of being a home-track bully by outperforming his Australian counterpart four years ago, with Lyon contributing just nine wickets at 55.11 across the 2020/21 summer.

“Ash is an incredible bowler,” Lyon told Fox Cricket.

“I’ve gone head-to-head with him for basically my whole career, so I’ve learned a lot from Ash.

“He’s an incredibly smart bowler, and he’s able to learn and adapt very quickly, and I think the best bowlers in the world are able to do that.

“He used his skill to benefit himself and his team. So you’ve got to give credit where credit’s due, he was the best bowler (in 2020/21), as he usually is. So hats off to Ash.”

Ahead of previous Test tours to India, Lyon studied and analysed footage of Ashwin’s bowling on the subcontinent’s dusty tracks – it’s why the 36-year-old credits him as one of his most influential mentors.

“He’s taught me a lot,” Lyon continued.

“I’m a big believer in the players that you play against are your best coaches that you eventually come across.

“I’ve watched a lot of his footage heading over to India, the way he goes about it here in Australia, see if I can pick up anything.

“The way I look at cricket is that I’ve never met anyone who has conquered the game, never played against or with anyone who’s conquered the game. There’s so much to learn in this great game, and there’s so much for me to learn off Ash. He’s a world-class bowler. He’s taken over 500 Test match wickets, and he should be extremely proud of that.”

Lyon’s capable of generating overspin on bouncy pitches while Ashwin’s relentless with his lengths, boasting a trademark carrom ball that adds an extra dimension to his bowling.

However, several pundits credit Lyon as the superior of the two bowlers because of his consistency across conditions, while Ashwin’s numbers are heavily weighted towards matches in Asia.

No finger spinner has taken more Test wickets in Australia than Lyon (259 at 30.88), already tripling the career haul of nearest rival Bruce Yardley with 79 wickets at 32.17.

Ravichandran Ashwin’s Test bowling average

In Asia – 21.76

Outside Asia – 33.14

Nathan Lyon’s Test bowling average

In Asia – 30.81

Outside Asia – 30.09

When asked why he’s succeeded on pitches not conducive to spin, Lyon quipped: “I know Jadeja reads all of this stuff, so I can’t really share all my secrets.

“My big thing is spinning up the back of the ball and getting bounce, but it’s a hard craft to be able to do that in Australia.

“Your size for error is extremely small.”

Ashwin has featured in four consecutive Border-Gavaskar Trophy triumphs, while Australia hasn’t won a Test series against India in nearly a decade. It’s a record Lyon will be desperate to rectify this summer.

“India’s got the wood over us in the past few series, but if you’re looking at the World Test Championship (final) in England, we were able to beat them there, and I know that should give us a bit of confidence heading into (this summer),’’ Lyon said.

“We understand that we’re coming up against a world-class side, but we can take a lot of confidence out of where we are at as an Australian cricket team.

“I feel like we’re on the journey to becoming a great team. We’re not there yet, there’s a bit of work to do, but we have the opportunity to do something pretty special this summer.”

India, ranked No. 2 in the world, recently suffered a 3-0 series whitewash to New Zealand on home soil, with their batters looking vulnerable against spin.

However, Lyon refused to accept the Indians were wounded, expecting them to bounce back in Australia.

“I think they’re extremely dangerous,” Lyon said.

“They’re a class outfit, and they know their best preparation and how to come out here and perform. It’s going to be a cracking Test series.

“It’s been a long ten years since Australia’s held the trophy. There’s only a few of us that would probably be in the squad that’s actually held the trophy, so it’s time to bring it home.”

Lyon celebrates his 37th birthday on Wednesday, while Ashwin turned 38 earlier this year. However, the New South Welshman brushed aside queries on whether they would face off again after this summer.

“Spin bowling is a craft that the older you get, the better you get with age,” Lyon said.

“There’s definitely no limit for me, and I don’t think there should be a limit for us as well. He’s absolutely world-class, and there’s a series in a couple of years’ time. So who knows?”

The first Test between Australia and India gets underway at Perth Stadium on Friday at 1.20pm AEDT.