India v Australia - Second Test preview

Pragyan Ojha: Could feature as a third spinner for India

Michael Clarke: Confident Nathan Lyon will come good in Hyderabad

Australia captain Michael Clarke has backed off-spinner Nathan Lyon to bounce back against India when the second Test match gets under way in Hyderabad on Saturday.

Lyon endured a torrid time with the ball in the series-opening defeat in Chennai, conceding 215 runs in the first-innings of Australia's heavy eight-wicket reverse.

The 25-year-old is expected to retain his place for the second Test, with Clarke adamant his premier spinner will come good.

"On grounds in India it's very easy to go for a lot more runs because they're smaller and have fast outfields. I thought Lyno showed his character in the second innings," Clarke said.

"I wish we had 150-200 runs on the board because then he would have had the opportunity to bowl in inconsistent spin, pace and bounce on a day-five wicket that I know he would have loved. He's been fine (since the Test). He's working hard every day to try and get better.

"I think it's important for all of us as a team to stay positive and confident. We saw what happened with England over here. For a lot of the guys, it was their first Test match in India and those conditions are as tough as they are going to be for a fast-bowling unit and the batsmen.

Competition

"I think there are a lot of positives we've got to take out of the game, we've looked at areas we need to improve and a lot of that is about patience with both bat and ball."

Australia are expected to retain the same starting XI which fell well short in Chennai, despite wicketkeeper Matthew Wade suffering a cheek injury during Friday's practice.

India could be tempted to include a third spinner in Pragyan Ojha in place of either Bhuvneshwar Kumar or Ishant Sharma after Australia lost all 20 wickets to spin last time out.

But Ravi Ashwin, who claimed a stunning match haul of 12-198 in the first Test, was keen to talk down the competition for places between himself and fellow spinners Harbhajan Singh and Ojha.

Ashwin said: "Competition always existed, it still exists and will continue to exist. I don't even think about it. And it's you people (pointing at the reporters) who are delegated to make comparisons, so why do I need to bother?"

India: (possible) V Sehwag, M Vijay, C Pujara, S Tendulkar, V Kohli, R Jadeja, MS Dhoni (capt & wk), R Ashwin, H Singh, I Sharma, P Ojha.

Australia: (possible) D Warner, E Cowan, P Hughes, S Watson, Michael Clarke (capt), M Wade (wk), M Henriques, P Siddle, M Starc, J Pattinson, N Lyon.

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