Kumble hopes batsmen too will hit form

Qaiser Mohammad Ali

Mohali, Oct 16, 2008: India captain Anil Kumble is happy that the bowlers put up a good performance in the first Test and he now hopes that the batsmen will emulate their form in the second Test starting here on Friday.

“On Indian wickets, you definitely need a spinner to come into play, if not in the first innings then certainly in the second innings. That's certainly something we will look to cash in on,” Kumble, who is a doubtful starter with a shoulder injury, told reporters here after the an indoor practice session due to morning rain.

“Having said that, to win a match, we need to get big scores from the batters and every bowler has to contribute. I am really happy with the way our bowling unit is shaping up and I am confident that our batters will also come to the party.”

Left-arm pacer Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma bowled brilliantly in the drawn first Test in Bangalore, snaring 13 of the 16 wickets that fell.

“There were a lot of positives (from Bangalore). The way we bowled … restricted Australia to 400 on a good pitch. The fast bowlers -- the way Zaheer and Ishant bowled -- and I thought even the spinners controlled the game pretty well in the first innings, although we didn't get wickets. I thought we were in total control, the way the innings progressed,” he said.

Australia captain Ricky Ponting also praised Zaheer’s performance. “He was the stand out with reverse swing. And when it reverses the scoring rate goes down,” he said.

Ponting was not too much worried about the loss of his new ball bowler Stuart Clark, who is suffering from an elbow injury and will be replaced by rookie pacer Peter Siddle. “We are going to be competitive like any team,” he said.

"Peter has shown that he can use the old ball well in matches for Victoria and with Brett Lee good at the art of reverse swing too, we can do well with our pace attack."