‘Hope tail can inspire top batsmen’
ADELAIDE: Tim Paine’s Australia were dealt a rude shock by India bowlers as the visitors clamped them during a 323-run chase in the first Test, leading to a 31-run loss here. The silver lining, however, was the hosts’ valiant lower order which kept India on tenterhooks till the end.
First, Mitchell Starc (28) and Pat Cummins (28) put on 41 runs for the eighth wicket and carried Australia past 200 in the 89th over. While Shami broke through that partnership, things didn’t ease out. The latter was then involved in a 31-run stand with Nathan Lyon (38*). Things went too close for comfort for India as Lyon and Josh Hazlewood (13) put on 32 runs for the last wicket, before the latter was dismissed.
“Our whole bowling attack, you can see how much it means to them playing for Australia, whether they’ve got the bat, ball or in the field, you can’t question their commitment,” Paine told reporters.
“They have a red-hot crack for every single ball. That’s what we’re building to, that’s the style of cricket we want to play. They’re obviously some of our more experienced players and I think the more they do that the more it will rub off on the rest of the group. I couldn’t question any of those guys.
“We didn’t have batters out there when they (India) were tiring. Had we taken those chances, we would have won this Test match, so it’s pretty hard to take.”
‘NO RUBBISH TALKS’
Paine was proud of the fact that his team not only fought hard but also played in the right spirit as they put on a friendlier face after the ball-tampering scandal.
“We played in good spirits. I don’t know about the Indians, we didn’t pay attention to them and we won’t be for the whole series,” he said.
“We fought really hard and never gave up, and you don’t have to talk rubbish and carry on a like a pork chop to prove that.”
Paine said that Australia will take inspiration from their fighting fifth-day effort in the opening Test and head to Perth with “real belief”.
“It won’t be any more difficult than this is. Every Test match is a huge challenge and we’ve expected this series to be an absolute arm-wrestle from the get go,” he said.