Bangalore all set for high adrenaline clash

Flat wickets, coloured clothes, bright lights cutting into the night, loads of runs, close finishes - that's the recipe for your average One Day international game these days. The first limited overs encounter between India and Australia, to be played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium at Bangalore promises to have all the above. An incredibly intense and hard fought Test series concluded only two day back in Chennai.

A tired, disappointed but steady Steve Waugh said at the end of it, "We are too tired mentally and physically to even contemplate them (One- Dayers). But they're just around the corner and we'll have to lift ourselves." When Steve Waugh says the Australians will be ready, you better take his word for it. Sourav Ganguly in turn is coming off the biggest victory in his career as captain. That will give him the kind of confidence every captain needs.

Even with confidence there are pitfalls. Overconfidence being the most dangerous of them all. The Indian team however is better than it has been for a long time. VVS Laxman, who rejuvenated the team with one single knock in Kolkata makes a comeback to the Indian team. The other man who knocked the stuffing out of the all conquering Aussies, Harbhajan Singh too gets a welcome call up for the shorter duration games. Dinesh Mongia, who has scored runs by the bag-full in domestic cricket gets his first ever India call up. India's first choice mediumpacers Javagal Srinath and Ajit Agarkar are both back after fitness problems. Hemang Badani, the southpaw from Tamil Nadu who has already made a name for himself as a cricketer with a mature head on his shoulders too will be in reckoning. All in all, the picture is a rather bright one for the Indians.

Like it was for the Australians when they got to India, and indeed after the first Test at Mumbai. However, the three Test series has taken its toll. There's no doubting that. Ricky Ponting, one of the most attacking batsmen in world cricket today has managed 17 runs at an average of less than four an innings. Shane Warne's bowling average in this series, like the last one, is above the half century mark. Adam Gilchrist who began his tour of India with a bang has struggled to get going.

Is that a sign that India have the upper hand? Nothing could be further from the truth. In recent years, the Australians have dominated world cricket not simply because they have the best eleven cricketers in the world. They simply have the biggest pool of cricketers who have the ability and the application to play at the highest level. The players they have called up to play the One-Day series, but missed out on the Tests, are cricketers who would have walked in to most teams in the world. Darren Lehmann has proved himself endlessly with the bat. Whenever he has had the slightest opportunity Lehmann has made runs. Tim Tremlett, the Director of Cricket at Hampshire, where Warne played for a season told this reporter not one month ago that Lehmann, also playing county cricket in England, played the legspinner as well as anyone else had. Lehmann's ability to play spin will play a big part in this series. Then there's Micheal Bevan to contend with Ian Harvey, Nathan Bracken and of course India's nemesis in limited overs cricket Andrew Symonds.

Can Australia reverse the two match loss? There's no reason why not. That's what makes limited overs cricket so popular among fans. Here in Bangalore you can be sure the stands will be packed. And there'll be a few disappointed fans queued up outside the ground looking for more tickets.

In the case of the recent Test series the conditions played a big part. The weather, the pitches, the crowds yelling and shouting. The weather here at Bangalore is less oppressive than anywhere else. The pitch here is a belter. Although there will be turn towards the middle of the second innings, that is not something that will cause a great deal of concern. The dew on the outfield under lights however is something captains might want to think about.

To cut a long story short, this is a classic limited overs situation. Very little that happened in the Test series will come into play. Steve Waugh with variety and strength on his side will be keen to win the One-Dayers. Although only a consolation prize, with the Test series being lost, the limited over games still provide an ideal opportunity to recover some lost ground.

Yet, there is no one who wants this victory more than the Indians. They will do all they can to win this series for one reason. If they fail here, there will be a large section of fans who will discount the Test win as a fluke. India, under John Wright, are desperately seeking consistency. To say that the team who wants the win most will walk away victorious is overstating the obvious. And yet that is the simple truth.

The teams: India (from): Sourav Ganguly (capt), Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid, Hemang Badani, Dinesh Mongia, Robin Singh, Vijay Dahiya (wk), Sunil Joshi, Harbhajan Singh, Ajit Agarkar, Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan and Virender Shewag.

Australia (from): Steve Waugh (capt), Adam Gilchrist, Mark Waugh, Mathew Hayden, Ricky Ponting, Ian Harvey, Andrew Symonds, Darren Lehmann, Michael Bevan, Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Damien Martyn, Damien Fleming and Nathan Bracken.

Umpires: Devender Sharma (New Delhi) and SK Sharma (Mumbai). Third Umpire: TG Laxmi Narayan (Tamil Nadu).