December 31, 2007	Monday	Zilhaj 20, 1428

MELBOURNE, Dec 30: Captain Anil Kumble says the Indians will have to markedly improve their run-rate in the second cricket Test in Sydney if they are to prevent Australia from holding on to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Ricky Ponting’s Australians inflicted one of India’s heaviest Test defeats winning the Test by 337 runs on Saturday.

It was Australia’s 15th consecutive Test victory and they will equal their world record of 16 wins set from October 1999 to February 2001 with victory in second Test in Sydney.

A victory in Sydney will also secure the four-match series for the Aussies with a 2-0 lead after winning the last series in India 2-1 in 2004.

One of India’s major problems heading into the New Year’s Test is their painstaking scoring rate at the top of the innings which put pressure on the team chasing down Australia’s first innings of 343.

The tourists were dismissed for sub-200 totals in both innings – 196 and 161 – of a Test for the first time in more than five years.

Rahul Dravid was the main culprit, crawling along with a total of 21 runs off 180 balls.

When he was dismissed in the first innings India were 31 for two after almost 100 minutes and 54 for two in two and a half hours of the second innings.

There are calls for Dravid to be returned to his more customary No 3 batting position, where he has batted in 146 of his 199 Test innings.

“We will think about our combination when we get to Sydney and look at the pitch,” Kumble said.—AFP