Sachin Tendulkar with son Arjun, during nets at the Sydney Cricket Ground, on Sunday. (AFP)

Calcutta/Sydney: Nathan Lyon, the off-spinner whom Australia are banking upon to play a key role in the second Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), is likely to face a daunting task against Indians, the world’s best players of spin bowling.

Australian coach Mickey Arthur is sure that Lyon will be tested on a pitch, known for assisting spinners later in the match. “There’s absolutely no doubt that they will try and go after him,” Arthur said.

However, the coach feels Lyon will be able to make things difficult for Indian batsmen. “Nathan is a pretty skilful off-spinner, so I reckon that will develop into a very interesting contest. We’re going to get a lot of overs out of Nathan if it’s a typical SCG wicket and I’ve got full confidence in his ability to tie India down and, in the second innings, strike for us,” Arthur was quoted as saying by The Daily Telegraph.

“I think it could be (a pivotal contest) provided we get enough runs on the board. If we have runs on the board, Nathan becomes a very interesting prospect for us,” added Arthur.

The 24-year-old Lyon, has enjoyed a rapid elevation up the ranks of Australian cricket, succeeding to become the country’s leading spin bowler with 23 wickets at an average of 27.47 since his debut in Galle in last September.

The off-spinner was an unknown face this time last year, having not played in any format of the game for South Australia and instead earning pocket money by mowing the grass at Adelaide Oval. One of the attractions of Lyon to his skipper Michael Clarke is that he has the courage to throw the ball up and be punished in his bid to draw batsmen to play a stroke they might later regret.

“You’re always in the game if they’re looking to play positive and take you down,” Lyon said after his first Boxing Day Test, in which James Pattinson, Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus did the bulk of the damage to Indian batting.

“I was just really confident in my skill set and looked forward to bowling to them. Brad Haddin and Mike Hussey came up and said to enjoy the moment and the challenge and to back myself, which was really good,” Lyon was quoted as saying by Sydney Morning Herald.

SCG curator Tom Parker has words of encouragement for Lyon. “If you get overcast conditions, the ball does swing around, move around in the air a bit. But as the game goes on, it always turns at some stage,” he said.