Fletcher confident India can fight back

Indian coach Duncan Fletcher defended his team’s decision to bat first against Australia’s in-form attack on a green SCG wicket and backed his bowlers to even things up on day two of the second Test.

With the exception of Sachin Tendulkar’s 41 and captain MS Dhoni’s 57 not out, India’s famed batting line-up again failed to deliver as they crumbled to be all out for 191 on day one.

Before the series started, the spotlight was on Australia’s ageing warriors Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey, but the blowtorch has quickly been turned on Indian veterans, chiefly 37-year-old VVS Laxman.

Opener Gautam Gambhir, 30, was out for a duck on the third ball of the innings, while his opening partner Virender Sehwag, 33, was never convincing in his 30.

Rahul Dravid, 38, was also rolled for five, but the big question mark is on Laxman, an all-time great who has destroyed Australia on so many occasions in the past, particularly in Sydney.

Laxman was out for two, his third successive failure on tour and it’s been nearly three years since he scored a century outside of the sub-continent.

Australia trail by just 75 runs with seven wickets in hand, but Fletcher is confident his bowlers can finish off the home side quickly and that his batsmen can redeem themselves in the second innings and keep the series alive.

“No, I just think it’s the right decision (to bat first). We were confident when we won the toss that we wanted to bat. It was a unanimous decision and we just feel that you’ve got to give credit to the Australian bowlers,” Fletcher said.

“I just think tomorrow morning, if we can just get one of those wickets (Michael Clarke 47 not out and Ricky Ponting unbeaten on 44) early and hopefully two … and put their lower order under a little bit of pressure, we can probably get them out for the same sort of total that we’ve got.”

Gambhir is under all sorts of pressure to save his position for Perth and Adelaide after failing again and continued a century drought at Test level dating back a full year.

The 46-Test player has done well in the sub-continent and against minnow nations, but has never really proved himself in bouncier conditions where the ball moves around.

Tendulkar again looked the goods to finally end the wait and record his 100th century at international level, but he inexplicably played onto his stumps attempting to drive a James Pattinson ball through the covers and the burden on him and his team-mates will continue into the second innings.

Fletcher said Tendulkar’s milestone pursuit and India’s desperate bid to record their first series win in Australia were not distractions to a batting line-up which again failed to put decent partnerships together.

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