Nowhere to hide as doubts mount for Ashes

FRESH question marks have arisen over Australia's Ashes campaign after Tuesday night's one-wicket loss to India.

Nathan Hauritz's standing as the No. 1 spinner and the meagre contributions of middle-order batsmen Mike Hussey and Marcus North are the screaming headaches.

"There's no doubt we're all bitterly disappointed," Australian captain Ricky Ponting said after India snatched an improbable win amid high drama at the PCA Stadium.

"The dressingroom is obviously very quiet at the moment but we have to bounce back from this. It's a game we should have won.

"They were eight down today with 80 runs to get, so this is a tough loss for us. It's no good hiding from it. This hurts all of us."

In the dying stages, Ponting declined to bowl Hauritz, who is trying to fend off leg-spinner Steve Smith's push for a permanent place in the Test side.

Bollinger is in doubt for the second Test because of the  he picked up yesterday.

"It hurt us," Ponting said of the speedster's absence after lunch. "Bowling at the tail, you need those strike options. I wanted him to bowl.

"I went to grab his hat off him and he felt he had some pain in one of his abdominals.

"Being a fast bowler, and having that sort of injury, I told him to get off the ground and have it looked at. His preparation probably didn't help."

Ponting was sympathetic to substitute fielder Smith, whose shy at the stumps went for four overthrows with six runs needed.

"You feel sorry for Smithy, a young bloke always looking for positive ways to win a game," Ponting said.