Australia coach Mickey Arthur has praised the maturity of debutant Moises Henriques and called upon the team’s top-order batsmen to ensure their starts aren’t wasted in the second Test against India.
Australia’s top four of Ed Cowan (29 and 32), David Warner (59 and 23), Phil Hughes (six and duck) and Shane Watson (28 and 17) were unable to get the big hundred Australia desperately needed to be competitive in the first Test which India won by eight wickets in Chennai on Tuesday.
Henriques made a huge contribution at No.7 with two half-centuries (68 and 81 not out).
Skipper Michael Clarke (130 and 31) continued his glorious form and was robbed of a bigger score in the second dig by a sharp-turning ball out of the rough which allowed offspinner Ravi Ashwin to dismiss the right-hander lbw.
“I just think the maturity he (Henriques) showed was amazing,” Arthur told reporters.
“I thought he was outstanding in this Test match.
“That was very, very pleasing because it gives you that third or fourth seamer and it gives you another batsman.”
Henriques also took 1-48 from 17 overs in a solid performance as India plundered a first-innings total of 572 from Australia’s attack including MS Dhoni’s 224 and Virat Kohli’s 107.
The 26-year-old NSW seamer’s versatility and cool head under pressure offer Australia’s selectors the option to use the medium-pacer in a first-change role and play two specialist spinners in the second Test in Hyderabad beginning on Saturday.
Arthur has put the heat on his top order to fire with the four-match series on the line.
“We certainly would have liked somebody to go on and get a really big score because when we got partnerships going the wicket looked flat,” he said.
“We saw that with our last-wicket partnership (of 66 between Henriques and Nathan Lyon in Australia’s second innings which was the team’s second-highest stand of the match).
“We need guys to get hundreds. Your first innings is so important.
“If your first innings is in excess of 400 you’re really putting yourself in the game.”
Arthur backed wicketkeeper/batsman Matthew Wade to remain at No.6 despite a 20-run match compared to Henriques’ starring performance at No.7.
