Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar on Sunday backed the Indian team after their catastrophic 333-run defeat to Australia in the first of the four-match Test series in Pune.

The former Indian batsman also said that one loss would not decide the fate of the series and that the Virat Kohli-led side would likely bounce back.

"It was a tough game for us. But it is part and parcel of the game. The loss does not mean that the series is lost, the series is still wide open," IANS quoted Tendulkar as saying on Sunday.

"Knowing the spirit of the Indian team, I know that they will fight back hard and Australia also know that because when we play in Australia and we beat them, we knew that they are going to come back at us really hard. And that is what make sport interesting," the 43-year-old added.