Kumble confident of shoulder recovery

Anil Kumble has said he is confident of recovering from a shoulder injury in time for the second Test against Australia which begins on October 17 in Mohali.

"The shoulder is feeling better," Kumble said. "There are three more days before the next Test so we'll monitor it closely."

Kumble performed poorly in the first Test, at the start of which he indicated it would be his final game in Bangalore. He bowled 43 overs in the first innings without a wicket before a shoulder injury restricted his bowling to eight overs in the second. It was only the third occasion that Kumble had gone wicketless in a Test and the first time in India. He also dropped two catches off his own bowling.

"It would have been nice if I had picked up wickets, maybe we would have won the Test match," Kumble said. "Without me putting my hand up, the other bowlers have certainly played their parts. I think, as captain, I've played my part. One bad game doesn't make you a bad player."

India were under pressure for the majority of the first Test. They conceded a first-innings lead of 70 to Australia and had to bat the final day to ensure a draw. Kumble, however, was pleased with the performance.

"For the first Test of the series, all of us have had a reasonable game," he said. "The batsmen are pretty confident going into the next game. As a team we are confident of winning the series."

He also added that the result might have been different had he won the toss. "The wicket has changed. The Bangalore pitch was very different 10 years ago," he said. "The pitch cracks up as the game progresses which is not ideal if you lose the toss. I think things would have been slightly different had we won the toss and batted first."