Johnson wants shorter spells

Mitchell Johnson will ask Australia's captain Steven Smith and coach Darren Lehmann for shorter spells akin to those he fired down at England last summer, after admitting he has throttled back his pace due to the longer stints asked of him against India.

Save for an influential spell on the final morning of the Gabba Test, Johnson's returns have trailed off this summer, while his pace has also been down by around 10km/h on what England and South Africa were subjected to. Key to this high speed were the short bursts of around three overs that Michael Clarke kept Johnson fresh for.

However there have been numerous longer spells this season, something Johnson has responded to by reducing his pace in an effort to maintain his energy levels. In a frank admission, Johnson said he wanted to get back to the way he was used by Clarke, and intends to take it up with Smith and Lehmann.

"I've been bowling longer spells," Johnson said. "That's been at the back of my mind where I know I'm going to be bowling four, five, six over spells that I can't be flat out every ball. It has dropped off a little bit. It's been a big 15 months as well so it's tough cricket.

"We go out there day in and day out and we work really hard and to be able to bowl 150 every game I'd be dreaming if I could do that. But I'd like to be going back to bowling shorter spells again. Hopefully I can do that in this Test. At the moment I'm just doing what the team needs me to do and that's bowling those longer spells.

"I'll speak to Steve Smith and Darren Lehmann and see if we can go back to those three over sharp spells because I think that worked really well for us in the past. But that's just me speaking. They might want me to bowl those longer spells again. Be happier with me bowling an average of me bowling 140 again, and occasionally get it up there as well."

There are several reasons why Smith and Lehmann have been using Johnson differently this summer. Chief among them is that the pitches for the India Tests have been by and large more amenable to batsmen than they were for England, lacking the sort of pace and bounce that promotes batting collapses. But the dropping of Peter Siddle and the need to take care of Ryan Harris' creaking body have also been factors leading to Johnson being called upon for more draining shifts at the bowling crease.

"You like a wicket to break up, that's what you expect from a five-day wicket. And it looked like a three-day wicket by the end of it," Johnson said of Melbourne's seemingly indestructible surface. "And it happened in Adelaide as well, obviously just had the footmarks there which was helpful for Nathan Lyon, but the middle of the wicket, it's a little bit disappointing.

"We played over there [in India] and lost four-nil on some pretty ordinary wickets, I thought, and we were hoping for them to come over here and play on some good, bouncy wickets. I even thought the Gabba wasn't the normal Gabba. A bit of bounce there but it just wasn't the same. Wickets have been suited for the batters more than anything I think."

Johnson can be expected to have an extended break during the early part of the triangular ODI series that follows the Sydney Test, before resuming ahead of the World Cup. He said some time away would be needed by all the fast bowlers, not just him, once the SCG match has run its course.

"Definitely, all us bowlers feel like we need to have a bit of a freshen up," Johnson said. "So we'll just see what happens after this match here. And then we've got some tri-series one-dayers, so hopefully I can get a bit of a break at some stage there. If not, I've just got to go out there and keep trying to do the best I can.

"We've just seen that in the last little period, bowlers have been getting a break. I had a break after one-dayers in Perth earlier, which was to freshen me up, and that was really helpful."

One major contributor to the drain of the summer has been the emotional and mental toll of losing Phillip Hughes. Johnson said the team had come a long way since the last time they sat together in the SCG dressing room, when discussing how it would be possible to come back and play cricket at all following Hughes' death at the ground.

"We all didn't know how we were going to go out there and play, and we weren't sure if we had enough time and all that stuff and too close to go out there and play again," Johnson said. "But everyone is sticking together. I remember the first fielding session we had we had a bit of fun, did a bit of dancing, [strength and conditioning coach] Damian Mednis made us do a dance and stuff when he stopped the music or whatever it was. He got us together and we really enjoyed each other's company.

"[The SCG is] going to be difficult for a lot of guys, but the guys who were out there [when Hughes was hit] it's going to be very tough for them, but everyone has handled it very well and in their own ways, they've done it very well. So we've been really happy to get a result that we have against India after the passing of Phil and we haven't been at the SCG yet so we don't know how everyone's going to feel.

"I don't know how it's going to be like afterwards. I guess it will probably be hard, you'll be able to sit down and think about things. You still find it difficult when you see little tributes around. It still brings a tear to the eye, so it's been emotional for everyone but I think everyone sticking together has been the best thing."