SYDNEY: Flat pitches and dropped catches made it tough going for Australia's bowlers in the four-Test series against India, skipper Steve Smith said Saturday.
The Australians took the series 2-0, but plucky India held on for a second successive draw over five days in the final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
This year's result is a turnaround for Australia after a humiliating 4-0 defeat by India on their home turf in 2013.
But Smith said the Aussies might have won by a greater margin if not for the unresponsive pitches and bungled catches.
Shaun Marsh's dropped catch on Saturday when Murali Vijay was on 42 -- on the way to 80 -- was Australia's 17th missed fielding opportunity in the series.
"I think the wickets have been extremely flat and it's been tough to take 20 wickets," he said.
"Throughout this season we've let ourselves down in the field. Perhaps if we had taken a few more chances, it might have been a little bit different.
"They are not the standards we set as an Australian cricket team.
"We have a lot of work to do on our fielding, with one-day series and the World Cup coming up, to get our standards up where we want them to be."
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