The Zimbabwean's team face a sixth successive overseas test defeat after being bundled out for 191 in their first innings at the Sydney Cricket Ground, having lost the first test last week by 122 runs. Sachin Tendulkar made 41 before he chopped the ball onto his stumps which, along with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's unbeaten 57, were the only real highlights of the innings.
Fletcher said credit must also be given to the Australian bowlers for a fine performance and batsmen Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting, for easing the hosts to 116 for three at the close of play. But he also defended his players' efforts. "The mood in the dressing room has been very, very good. They're working very hard at nets, they're putting in the effort, they're trying their best," he told reporters.
"It's just sometimes in cricket we just need a little bit of good fortune. "You look at Sachin today, how often would he play on from that width, more often than not he would have put that through the covers for four. "Sometimes it goes against you and sometimes it runs with you."Fletcher said he was hoping for more partnerships from the middle order for the rest of the series and did not think the cause was lost in Sydney.
Encouraged by paceman Zaheer Khan dismissing Australia's top three batsmen with just 37 runs on the board, Fletcher said India were just a wicket away from some kind of parity. "If they had been four down tonight, we would have been pretty happy with that," he said. "If we can just get one of those wickets early tomorrow, hopefully two, and put their lower order under a little bit of pressure, we can probably get them out for the same sort of total that we scored."