Levelling series against Australia would be great for Indian cricket: Laxman

Indian middle-order bat V V S Laxman is looking forward to the contest in Adelaide, and hopes to replicate his epic innings of 281 in Calcutta in 2001 and his 79-run vigil at the WACA Ground, both of which caused the Australian juggernaut to grind to a halt after 16 consecutive wins each.

Sydney, Jan.22 : Indian middle-order bat V V S Laxman is looking forward to the contest in Adelaide, and hopes to replicate his epic innings of 281 in Calcutta in 2001 and his 79-run vigil at the WACA Ground, both of which caused the Australian juggernaut to grind to a halt after 16 consecutive wins each.

"We came here hoping to win the series. That was the most important thing. We can't do that now, unfortunately, but we can level it. Adelaide is a very important game. To win twice in Australia and level the series would be very good for Indian cricket," Laxman said.

Meanwhile, Australian bowling coach Troy Cooley has urged the national selectors to be patient with pacer Shaun Tait, saying that the powerful 24-year-old has a big future in the longest form of the game.

"He is young and he's cutting his way at the moment. We have seen how damaging he can be when everything fires. You don't throw away 150, 160kmh bowlers, you hang in there. Give him some time and he will work it out. He's a good bowler and a good lad," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Cooley, as saying.

Tait bowled 21 wicketless overs in the recently concluded Perth Test.

"He hasn't lost heart. He is a champion, and he will find a way to get back in the middle and produce the spells we know he can produce," Cooley claimed.

Cooley said he was not too concerned about Indian bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad's comment that the Indians were the world's finest exponents of swing bowling

"I'm not going to worry about that. They kept a good seam position throughout the Test match, which was good. We probably tend to hit the deck a bit harder, but they really bowled well [in] the conditions, and all credit to them," he said.

On left-arm pacer Mitchell Johnson, Cooley said: "I think he's flying. I think he has been unlucky. He has been doing a job out in the middle and working with Brett Lee really well. He's shown he is going to be a solid foundation of this team. They [Johnson and Tait] are both pretty new on the scene."

The Test wicket prepared by Adelaide Oval curator Les Burdett is expected to command the return of wrist spinner Brad Hogg. "I'll keep my nose out of selection, but I will say that an Adelaide pitch will take turn as the game progresses," Burdett said.

ANI