Former Australian cricket coach Darren Lehmann has thrown his support behind Joe Burns after the embattled opener played a leading role in Australia’s first Test victory over India.
Speaking on SA Sportsday, Lehmann said he hopes Burns, who notched a second-innings half-century to claim victory for Australia, could now go on and cement his spot at the top of the order alongside David Warner.
“It was a little bit touch and go that decision,” Lehmann said.
“It would have been interesting if (Will) Pucovski was fit and ready to go or a few others. I think they were always going to stay with Joe because the Warner/Burns partnership has been very good over a number of years, so I think you have to stick with that to start with.
“He’s come through the other side, he’s still worked really hard for his fifty and you hope that he gets through that and kicks on now in the next Test match.”
As for India, Lehmann believes they can still be competitive despite losing captain Virat Kohli (birth of first child) and bowler Mohammed Shami (arm injury).
“It will be hard now for them, but they’ve actually got some quality players if they can get on a roll,” Lehmann said.
“They can certainly cause some trouble with the ball, it’s just whether the batsmen can cope with the bounce. The MCG pitch will suit them a bit better because it’s a bit flatter.
“So we’ll see if their batsmen can bounce back and make some runs, especially in the first innings. That’s going to be the key for them."
The second Test between Australia and India begins on Boxing Day at the MCG.