Melbourne: Pacer Mitchell Johnson, who was the catalyst for Australia’s second Test win over India at the Gabba last week, on Monday asserted that it is important to intimidate the opposition with mind games.
In a new DVD titled ‘Mitchell Johnson: Bouncing Back’, he elaborated on many of the recent important cricketing issues, including beating England last season to win the Ashes.
Johnson, who has taken 278 wickets in 63 Test matches, emphasised that intimidating England, especially the tailenders, was a part of their team plan and was critical in their series victory over the English.
“Sometimes we say stupid things when we’re out there. Sometimes we try and say things that hopefully get into the batsmen’s heads a little bit. We try to get them to think about their feet, or just let them know you are going to bowl another short ball. It’s all mind games,” Johnson was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.com.
Johnson also believes his team tries to be within the rules but on television it sometimes looks worse than what the situation is.
“Sometimes it might look a little different on TV. It might look as if we’re going a bit too hard at each other, and sometimes it could be a bit over the top. But we’re always trying to stay inside the guidelines,” the left-armer added.
“If you can get into someone’s mind by speaking to a batsman and tell them that their feet aren’t going anywhere, hopefully they’ll start to think about that. You then bowl a short one at them, and you’re in their head. I love that part of the game. I think it’s great. And I don’t think it’s ever going to stop,” said the 33-year-old.
