Australian coach Darren Lehmann sported the after-glow of a victory. He appeared relaxed, smiling from time to time.
Despite Clarke’s statement that there might be a chance that he would never play again, Lehmann said, “I think, he will be back.”
In the same breath, Lehmann was realistic when asked about Clarke’s participation in the ICC ODI World Cup. He said, “We want him (Clarke) fully fit for the World Cup. One-day cricket is explosive in nature. We need fully fit cricketers all the time.”
Lehmann lavished praise in the manner Virat Kohli and Murali Vijay batted on the final day of the first Test and said, “It was a magnificent Test, great venue, great support from the media and a fitting tribute to Hughes.”
On off-spinner Nathan Lyon’s influential display, Lehmann observed, “He had got some key wickets for us against England too. He enjoyed his bowling here. We are pleased for his bowling and his emotions.”
Asked about Australia’s stirring fightback in that dramatic final session, Lehmann said, “We knew they (the Indians) had to make 160-odd and it was not easy to score them. We wanted to stick to the basics, open up one end.”
Haddin is front-runnerThere is a debate here about who should captain the Australian team in the remaining three Tests against India. Stand-in captain Brad Haddin is the front-runner yet there is a feeling that he is getting on in years. The names of Steve Smith and Shane Watson are doing the rounds.
Lehmann said, “He (Haddin) brings experience, but left the choice of the skipper to the selectors.” Australia would be breaking a long tradition if the deputy does not automatically take over.
There are concerns over Peter Siddle’s fitness but Lehmann defended the paceman. “He (Siddle) bowled tidy and that’s what we need from him.”
Queried about the lack of runs from opener Chris Rogers, Lehmann said, “He (Rogers) has put up several great partnerships with David Warner over the last 18 months. Of course, we need him to get runs. He also does things behind the scenes for the team that a lot of you don’t know about.”
Lehmann refused to answer questions on umpiring in the Test. While there were umpiring errors on the final day, there were indications from the Indian camp that they were still not ready for the DRS.
That an input error by an operator led to Hawk Eye showing the wrong projected path leading to the dismissal of a Pakistan batsman in a recent series against New Zealand has created more doubts in the minds of those who oppose the system.
And the performance of the Hot Spot, in the past, has been impacted by the weather conditions.
