Clark to miss second Test

Australian pacer Stuart Clark, nursing an elbow injury, lost his race against time and would miss the second Test against India, paving the way for rookie Victorian right-arm fast bowler Peter Siddle's debut here on Friday.

Clark, who sustained the injury in the first Test at Bangalore, did come for the practice session but could still feel the pain, which prompted the team's think-tank to rule him out and blood Siddle in.

"Stuart Clark bowled about 30 balls yesterday and still had the elbow pain, which which he had sustained in the first Test. Consequentially, he is ruled out of this Test. Peter Siddle will make his debut tomorrow," a spokesman of the Australian team told reporters.

"(Physio) Alex Kontouris will continue to monitor Stuart Clark's progress in the coming days," he added.

Clark's stifling accuracy has often straitjacketed the Indian batsmen and his absence would surely ease the pressure on them in the Mohali Test.

Twenty three-year-old Siddle has not played any Test or ODI so far and despite his abundant talent, the youngster might find it a baptism by fire when he bowls at what is arguably the most illustrious middle order batting line-up in contemporary cricket.

Siddle, however, can take heart from the fact that his captain Ricky Ponting has full faith in him. Ponting does not read too much into Siddle's inexperience and believes the rookie would not let him down.

"A lot was made of our experience leading to the first Test but if you look at the performance of those guys there it was very good. So that will be there when you play your first game.," Ponting said.

"Siddle will make his debut and he is a very lively right-arm fast bowler from Victoria. He is a very simple bloke and enjoys bowling. He would enjoy the contest of bowling to the Indian top order. There are some very good players in that top order and I'm sure he is up for the challenge.

"He keeps it pretty simple and is a good exponent of reverse swing as well. Hopefully in this game if he can find the rhythm early and nicely, it would be surplus," Ponting added.

Asked if Clark's absence would be a disadvantage for his side, the Aussie skipper said, "I don't think so. Eleven players would be giving their best for Australia and we know that we are competitive against any side in the world."

Fitness worries and weather take centrestage

After the attritional cricket in Bangalore, where one team dominated much of the contest and the other refused to give in, Mohali - where the pitch isn't as slow as Bangalore - holds the prospect of a more lively encounter. Both teams will, however, need to rework their plans of attack to land the first punch in the series.

The challenge for Australia will be not only to get into a commanding position against India, like they did in Bangalore, but also to close out the match, which they failed to do in the first Test. All of their batsmen, however, with the exceptions of Matthew Hayden and Michael Clarke, made runs: Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey scored maiden Test centuries in India, while Shane Watson and Brad Haddin allayed concerns about an untested lower-middle order. Their fast bowlers, Mitchell Johnson and Watson in particular, showed that inexperience in Indian conditions was not a hurdle that couldn't be cleared.

Although India's batsmen played out the fifth day to secure a draw in Bangalore, the match was really saved on the third evening because of plucky batting from Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan. Their batting, however, isn't a major worry since most batsmen made contributions at some stage of the Test. India's biggest problem is the fitness of their captain Anil Kumble. He had a poor match in Bangalore, where he bowled 51 overs without a wicket, and struggled with a shoulder injury. He bowled during an indoor net session on Thursday but will decide on his participation in the Test only on the morning of the match.

The build-up to the first Test in Bangalore was unusually quiet. By the end of the match, however, tensions were simmering: Zaheer said the Australians were defensive; Ponting brushed aside the comments; and Kumble was writing indignant columns in response to media speculation about his future. Normal service, it seems, has been resumed.