Australia vs India: Tim Paine wants an under-performing Aaron Finch to back himself

Former Australia captain and one of the best ODI skippers, cricket has seen, Ricky Ponting was called in on Thursday to help a struggling Aaron Finch solve his batting woes ahead of the second Test in Perth. Finch, the skipper of Australia’s limited-overs team, was dismissed for a duck in the first innings in Adelaide and then added 11 in the second innings. His form has been a worry for the hosts who lost the first Test and will be hoping to bounce back in the second.

Ponting was present during Australia’s warm-up session. Punter, as he is famously known, kept an eye on Finch’s footwork and stroke-play before going up to him to lend him suggestions. “I know he’s always in and around our group, he has been for probably the last six or eight months,” captain Tim Paine said of Ponting according to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald.

A green Perth turf 

Australia’s bowling line-up, especially their pace-attack, is very strong. But ever since the ban on Steve Smith and David Warner, they lack an experienced batting line-up. Among the top six batsmen, they only have Usman Khawaja as their best weapon, whose first-class average is slightly more impressive than that of the others.

Meanwhile, Paine wants Aaron Finch to back himself in the Tests. “We encourage all our players to back their strengths. Finchy’s been successful in international cricket, played really well in the UAE. He’s like other players, he just needs that one score to get that more self-belief at Test level that we know he has at international T20 and one-day cricket. You’re not going to succeed in international cricket unless you stick to your strengths.”

The contest in Perth is expected to be an exciting one with the quicks all set to thrive on the green turf. Australia’s pacemen can cause trouble to India’s batting line-up, but in Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara, India have two technically sound batsmen who can deliver Down Under. This is India’s best chance to win a series in Australia, and they will be looking to carry over their rich vein of form from Adelaide to Perth.

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