Damien Martyn hit a defiant century to lead the Australian fight back on day four of the second Test cricket match against India in Chennai on Sunday.
And the right-hander believes his team has done enough to emerge victorious.
| |||||||||||
It was knock that showed the determination and class of a very underrated batsman who has managed to hold his own in the world's best team for quite some time now.
"It is right up there with my best effort. To play in these conditions against two world class spinners -- Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh -- is tough and I am really pleased with the way things went today.
"The wicket is quite dry and very slow. Reverse swing is always the factor here and our fast bowlers know how to bowl here," he added.
Martyn had scored two centuries in Sri Lanka, knocks he had later described them as "the hardest hundreds I've had to get". One wonders if he had to make any adjustments to his technique for this tour.
"Not really. We have been playing a lot of cricket in the sub-continent of late and I have played a bit in India in the one-dayers. It is the experience, basically. Michael Clarke has been playing one-dayers for two years and that helped him when he made his Test debut. The more you experience the conditions the better for you."
The Australians were uncharacteristically sloppy in the field in the Indian first innings errors, but like that could cost them the match on Monday.
"We failed to take a few chances in the field. Except for a few, they were not easy but we pride ourselves in taking such chances. It was just an off day. Whatever the outcome tomorrow, it would be a great day of Test cricket."
More from rediff