The Indian team will be nervous ahead of the Dharamsala Test starting on Saturday, former Australia fast bowler Mitchell Johnson said. The pacer-friendly conditions in Dharamsala will give Australia more confidence compared to the Indian camp, he added.

“Dharamsala is an amazing ground and the only times I have seen it are with grass on [the pitch],” Johnson said, as reported by PTI. “So, I think that’s why the Australians will probably be confident and India will be a little bit nervous. I think they’ve been overconfident in this series and I think the scoreline shows that.”

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Johson also said that spinner Steve O’Keefe will make way for pacer Jackson Bird in seamer-friendly conditions in Dharamsala. “I think we’re going to lose a spinner out of this Test match,” he said. “The spinners have been great throughout the series. There’s been a lot of pressure on the spinners to go out there and perform and I think they’ve had some good patches and some bad patches. But that’s the game.”

Nathan Lyon is likely to keep his place, Johnson said, because of his experience. “I think Nathan Lyon will get a lot more bounce and he has been turning the ball quite nicely,” he said. “But then again, you’ve got to look at left- and right-hand combinations. If it’s more of an Australian kind of wicket, I think you’ll see Nathan Lyon bowl and Bird come in as the third quick.”

Johnson was also impressed by the way Peter Handscomb and Shaun Marsh saved the game for Australia in Ranchi, adding that it gave the visitors a psychological advantage. “[The result in Ranchi] gives Australia a huge advantage I think,” he sad. “For [India] to know that it’s not about Steve Smith and David Warner, other guys in the team can perform and can play out for a draw. They dug in and played exceptional cricket. [Australia] will be pumped after that. Even though it was only a draw, to them it will feel very good and very positive. Because they have collapsed a lot in the past. That’s why I’m confident Australia will win.”