Brett Lee bowled with a lot of heart in the opening Test against India, but his efforts went largely unrewarded. Just two wickets -- one in each innings -- meant the Bangalore Test would be considered a personal failure for him.
And critics might as well say that Lee's inability to take wickets eventually cost Australia the match. Ask him that and he becomes a tad defensive, akin to most batsmen who face his searing deliveries.
"You might look at the scoreboard and find that there weren't many wickets next to my name," he reasons. "But it is just a matter of how you feel about your bowling. I thought the ball was coming off my hand quite well and am happy with my bowling."
Agreed. But there must have been regrets of not being able to convert an advantageous position to a victory.
"We had a great chance to win the Test match. We are very proud of the way we played," he says, before adding on a somber tone, "possibly we could have got more wickets on the final day but that wasn't to be."
But the disappointment soon gives way to hope as he looks forward to the Mohali Test with a positive attitude.
"I have played on this ground as part of Kings XI Punjab in the IPL and the wicket is usually hard," said Lee.
"We do expect the wicket to have some bounce. Traditionally, it has been a wicket that has aided fast bowlers and, hopefully, that will be the case this time," he adds, exuding confidence.
And confidence is something Lee needs to sustain during the course of the second Test and the remainder of the series.
For despite the superficial negativity surrounding his performance in Bangalore, there definitely was a positive element in it. The couple of wickets that he took ensured the 31-year-old joined Craig McDermott (291) as the fourth highest wicket-taker for Australia in Tests.
And it also brought Lee closer to a milestone -- 300 Test wickets. Only three of his countrymen -- Dennis Lillee (355), Shane Warne (708) and Glenn McGrath (563) have achieved the feat.
Lee definitely has the milestone in mind and seems to have to come on this tour with his own strategy.
"There are differently ways to bowl in different conditions. And, obviously, in Indian conditions the ball goes through a bit slower to the keeper," he explains.
"But that doesn't mean that I'll cut down on pace. I clocked 148 in the last Test (Bangalore) and would like to keep my pace to the tune of mid-140 kph, which I believe is good."
Lee's ominous warning did have a desired impact.
"There's no doubt he'll do whatever he has to do," admitted India coach Gary Kirsten. "He is definitely capable of producing a strong performance here and we are aware of it."
If Lee succeeds in achieving the impending milestone remains to be seen. What is certain is that he'll come back hard this time.
