PTI

Melbourne, Nov 29: Former coach John Buchanan has handed Australia a blueprint to rock Sachin Tendulkar in the forth coming series, saying the Indian batsman is susceptible to short-pitched bowling early in his innings.

Operation “get Tendulkar” will be the key plank of Australia's plan for the four-test series this summer and Buchanan's video analysis of the Indian provides crucial intelligence.

He has noticed Tendulkar's footwork has become sluggish, especially early in his innings, making him vulnerable to quicker and shorter bowling followed by the sucker punch of a fuller delivery.

“What I've been seeing for a while is that his feet don't move early in his innings and he is not very fluid early on,” Buchanan told The advertiser.

“That makes the good-pace short ball a great weapon. It's something that Australia should be very conscious of this summer.” The short ball should be followed by a full one for a favourable result, he said.

“It doesn't necessarily mean you will get Sachin out with the shorter ball. But you can push him back on his crease and then look for a full ball, which he can tend to squirt to the slips early in his innings when he doesn't have great control,” Buchanan said.

Tendulkar boasts a similar test average (54.16) in Australia as he does elsewhere and his statistics do not give weight to the theory that the 34-year-old is a fading star, because his test average of 55.38 in 1989-1999 is similar to his 54.43 return since the turn of the century.

However, Buchanan feels Tendulkar is not playing with the same consistency. “He still has greatness within him like all great players. It is still there but it does not appear as regularly,” he said.

Buchanan has also noticed the little master is often uncomfortable against left-arm pace, even battling against modest left-armers such as West Indian Pedro Collins.

Tendulkar was also dismissed by Australia's Mitchell Johnson in last year's DLF Cup one-day series in Malaysia. “Mitchell Johnson has bowled very well to Sachin in the past and I'd expect him to trouble him again with his left-arm variety. Brett Lee will also be a key man because of his pace.”