Nathan Lyon believes Australia still have a long way to go to achieve 'greatness'

Ahead of the second Test against Sri Lanka, Australia spinner Nathan Lyon stated that he believes that the current lot is still a long way from achieving "greatness" as a Test team.

"We want to become a great Australian team. We're on that journey, we're not there yet. That's our end goal," he said.

"Part of that journey is making sure that when we close the window, we nail it shut. It's all about being ruthless and doing our best thing for long periods of time."

Despite Australia’s outstanding summer of red-ball cricket, where they dominated India at home to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in a decade and securing their biggest-ever win in the subcontinent with an innings and 242-run victory over Sri Lanka in Galle - Lyon still holds the belief that the team is far from being considered up there.

The 37-year-old believes that this Australian team still has a long way to go before being considered one of the greats.

He emphasized that winning in India (which Australia did in 2004) and securing an Ashes series win away from home (something they last achieved in 2001) are key milestones.

“Well, there's a few things, we haven't won in India, We've retained the last two Ashes (via drawn series), away.

"So, there's a few things that for me, this is only me and my thoughts as well. But, we've got some great players within that change room. There's no point hiding behind that, you look at Smithy (Steve Smith) bringing up 10,000 (runs).

"You've got Starcy (Mitchell Starc) in my eyes, who's got around the corner from Test matches. So, there's great players, but I feel like we are on the journey to become a great Australian team. And I think that's an incredible journey to be a part of it."

The spinner also spoke about his spin-bowling partners, Matthew Kuhnemann and Todd Murphy, and what it’s like to bowl as a trio of spinners in a team that traditionally relies on pace bowlers.

“We're three totally different bowlers with three totally different mindsets as well. I feel like I'm learning off Todd and Matt, and I feel like they're pushing me to try and get better as well. Hopefully I'm passing on a little bit of knowledge here and there."

The trio claimed 17 of Australia’s 20 wickets in Galle, but the chances of them playing together again after the second Test are slim, as Australia’s next tour of the subcontinent isn’t until 2027, when they face India.