Tendulkar backs Indian team despite humiliating loss to Australia

New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANS) Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar on Sunday backed the Indian team who were beaten by Australia by 333 runs in the first cricket Test of the four-match series at Pune.

The 43-year-old batsman also said that one loss cannot decide the fate of the series and the Virat Kohli-led team will surely bounce back.

Australia ended India’s 19-match record unbeaten streak after thrashing the hosts within three days of the match on Saturday.

Chasing a mammoth 441, India succumbed to the left-arm spin of Steve O’Keefe, who returned with figures of 6/35 in the second innings to bundle the hosts out for a paltry 107.

With the win, the visitors have now taken a 1-0 lead in the Test series.

“It was a tough game for us. But it is a part and parcel of the game. The loss does not mean that the series is lost, the series is still wide open,” Tendulkar said on the sidelines of the Delhi Marathon here on Sunday.

“Knowing the spirit of the Indian team, I know that they will fight back hard and Australian team also knows about it because when we play in Australia and we beat them, we knew that they are going to come back at us really hard. And that is what make sport interesting,” he added.