Melbourne: The pitch at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) will suit India more because of its flat nature, says former Australia coach Darren Lehmann.
The second Test between India and Australia will start on December 26 at the MCG, with the hosts leading the series 1-0.
“It will be hard now for them, but they’ve actually got some quality players if they can get on a roll,” Lehmann told ‘SA Sportsday’.
India comes into the match on the back of an eight-wicket drubbing they received in the pink-ball Test in Adelaide. India was bowled out for 36, their lowest ever total in Test cricket, and Australia went on to chase down a target of 90 all within the first session of the third day of the match.
Additionally, India is without their captain Virat Kohli and ace fast bowler Mohammed Shami but Lehmann said that it will come down to whether the visiting batsmen can cope with the bounce as their pacers can cause trouble.
“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,” Lehmann, who played for Australia between 1996 and 2005, further said.
“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.”
