Pressure on Burns in final dig before Test
The pressure is on Joe Burns but the out-of-form opener had a small win when spared a testing examination under the lights at the SCG.
Burns has tallied 61 runs from eight first-class knocks this season, putting him in danger of being axed for the first Test that begins on Thursday.
The incumbent Test opener will have one final innings, on day three of the tour game between Australia A and India in Sydney, to show chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns he has turned the corner.
India reached 4-386 at stumps on Saturday night, opting against a declaration despite the fact they boasted a 472-run lead.
It meant that Burns and Marcus Harris, who has been added to the Test squad, avoided a short burst from Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami in bowler-friendly conditions.
"They're probably pretty relieved they didn't get stuck under lights there," Australia A coach and former Test opener Chris Rogers said.
"That would have been a challenging little period.
"I know as an opening batsman I definitely would not have liked to be out there batting tonight."
Rogers sympathised with Burns.
"You can get to this point where you're just putting so much pressure on yourself," Rogers said.
"You think you're doing everything you can and it just doesn't seem to be going your way.
"There is some pressure on him, no doubt. He's not stupid.
"A lot of the time it's just about letting go ... there's probably a lot of noise in their heads at the moment but the best thing they can do is just go out and worry about the next ball."
Rogers, who coaches Harris at Victoria, suggested the opener's technique is in a good place but "there's more to go with his batting".
"It's never the finished article but he seems to be playing quite well, and transferring his weight better," Rogers said.
