It would sure pay to be a travel agent for Cricket Australia at the moment. Three days after having to send Moises Henriques to India as injury cover, wicketkeeper Graham Manou is the latest to receive an abrupt call-up to join the national team at CA's expense.

The 30-year-old, whose international career consists of a single Test match against England three months ago, flew out of Sydney yesterday evening to replace fellow gloveman Tim Paine, who was to fly home home for surgery on what Australian captain Ricky Ponting said was a ''badly broken'' ring-finger on his right hand during the team's series-levelling loss to India on Wednesday night.

Paine broke the finger in the eighth over of India's record innings of 7-354, trying to glove a Peter Siddle bouncer well above his head. The Tasmanian received treatment at the end of that over and while he kept for the rest of the innings - taking two catches and effecting a run-out - he required treatment at least twice more during India's innings just to be able to keep going.

Paine also still kept his place at the top of the batting order alongside Shane Watson, although he was bowled for eight in the fifth over. Australia's fortunes were not much better than Paine's, with the visitors bowled out for 255 in the 49th over to hand India the resounding 99-run win, which levelled the seven-match series at one-all. Manou had been due to captain South Australia in its Sheffield Shield match starting today against Victoria until his call-up.

Ponting stood by his decision to send India in to bat after he'd won the toss at the batsmen-friendly Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur in match two, insisting he had been swayed by the absences of key bowlers Brett Lee (ankle) and James Hopes (hamstring).

''Our balance has been thrown out a bit. With Hopes going out of the side, Brett [Lee], our most-experienced bowler, out of the side our batting was our strongest suit … so chasing runs I thought was going to suit the make-up of our side,'' Ponting said. ''All the reasoning behind winning the toss and bowling was there. We just didn't play well enough to back that up today.''

The return of Ben Hilfenhaus to the side after spending 13 of Australia's previous 14 matches as an unused squad member was not a successful one, smashed for 1-83 from his 10 overs. Ponting said the Tasmanian was deservedly picked ahead of Doug Bollinger, despite the NSW left-arm paceman having played more recently than Hilfenhaus - and in India, in the Champions League Twenty20 tournament.