Lee backs Kumble to bounce back

Brett Lee defends India captain Anil Kumble at a press conference in Mohali

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Australia fast bowler Brett Lee has come out in defence of India captain Anil Kumble, insisting the leg-spinner remains a formidable force despite a loss of form.

Kumble had an unspectacular first Test in Bangalore, failing to take a wicket in the 51 overs that he bowled and also aggravating a shoulder injury.

He has resisted calls for him to quit, saying he will bow out on his own terms.

"He has got 600 Test wickets," said Lee. "We respect him both as a captain and also as a class bowler.

"He is a great bowler who has been around for long and we will treat him just the way we would treat a great bowler."

The drawn first Test in Bangalore also saw confrontations between opposition players, with Zaheer Khan involved in a spat with Brad Haddin.

But Lee said: "I think the first Test was definitely played in the right spirit.

"There was lot of passion and controlled aggression. A few words were exchanged but that was well within the right spirit.

"You cannot take away the passion. After all, we are not playing tiddlywinks. We'll play the game fairly and squarely."

Kumble went wicketless in the drawn first Test at Bangalore

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Lee admitted he was disappointed to only come away with a draw from the opening Test, but remains confident that Australia can pull out a victory second time around.

"It was really disappointing not to win there (in Bangalore), as we came out to win the match,” he said.

“But in hindsight we can be happy with the way we played and created chances.

"Personally, I'm really happy with the way I bowled. You look at the scoreboard and you don't see too many wickets (against my name) but I'm happy that I created chances.

"I would be pretty confident going into this Test."

Mohali is the home ground of Lee’s Indian Premier League team Kings XI Punjab.

"It's going to be a home game for me,” he said. "It's a great place and hopefully the wicket will have enough carry, especially because this is traditionally a bouncy track.

"In Bangalore, it was pretty low and slow. The pitch here looks pretty hard and hopefully there will be enough carry for the young pacers."