Plenty of fight left in Aussies

A DISCUSSION about Australia’s top three could be on the cards but captain Tim Paine hopes a fighting Adelaide effort showed his men had the capabilities to rebound quickly in a series set to be a four-match scrap.

Paine declared he was in “no doubt” for Friday’s second Test in Perth despite taking a knock to his right index finger and suggested the workload his tail-end batsmen inflicted on the Indian bowlers could test the tourists when the battle resumes.

Australia poured on 103 runs for their final three wickets and as the home team went down swinging, Paine said it could tell a story in a series he thinks won’t be won easily by anyone.

“If you are going to be a good team, you have to be hard to beat and today we were hard to beat. We made India work harder than they thought they were going to have to,” he said.

“Days like today, where you make their fast bowlers come back three and four times more, I think that can have a really telling end on the back end of a series when it’s four tests.

“You could see signs of their attack waning … that’s a really key element for us. It’s going to be good to get to Perth and see who backs up better.”

Paine conceded he needed more from his own frontline quick Mitchell Starc, who copped criticism for his new ball effort, but took five wickets for the game.

“Was he at his best? Probably not, but I still think he played his role rally well,” Paine said. “When Starcy is on song, there is no better bowler in the world with the new ball, and if he can get it to swing, I think in Perth the conditions will suit him down to the ground.”

Talk has already begun that opener Aaron Finch could be bumped down the order.