New look Australia take on India with series interestingly poised

Once again the stage is set for a run feast. After Bangalore served up a 300 plus score, the game at Pune was a bit of a let down for run hungry audiences with the pitch being less than a featherbed. The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium at Indore promises to make up for that. The pitch here has been a source of controversy, with the match between India and Sri Lanka in 1997 being called off after just three overs were bowled with the pitch being unsuitable for play.

Since then, the local cricket association, under the able leadership of its secretary Sanjay Jagdale, who is also a national selector, have gone out of their way to produce a good batting strip. If conditions prevalent on the eve of the match are to be believed, they have succeeded in their quest. Considerable work has been done on the outfield too, and it is as lush as it has ever been.

One can understand the anxiety of the staging association. After all, it is not every day that a small venue like Indore gets to host an India-Australia one-day international. The city is doubly fortunate to have been allotted the third match of a five match series. The series is always alive when the third game is played, and it is usually a needle match. Either the teams have to be level with one game apiece or one team has to be up 2-0. In the former case, both teams will be fighting hard to gain the upper hand. In the latter circumstance of course, one team would be looking to close out the series while the other would be fighting to stay alive. As it turns out, the honours are even coming into the third one-dayer.

The Indian captain, Sourav Ganguly was clear in his mind that the hosts fell short by about 30 runs short in the second one-dayer that they lost by eight wickets. That is how easy it has become to score runs on Indian limited overs wickets. Even a score of 250 is never going to be enough. As a direct fall out, many batsmen, and indeed batting allrounders have benefited greatly. Virender Shewag, man of the match in the first game with a brisk half century and three wickets to his name is a case in point. His subsequent injury might just open the doors once more for one of India's most reliable late order batsmen in recent times - Robin Singh. With younger blood being preferred, the 37-year-old allrounder from Tamil Nadu has been in and out of the side in recent times.

Choosing to go into the second one-dayer with Sunil Joshi as a replacement for Shewag, the Indian think tank burnt their fingers a bit. There was not enough forthcoming with the bat, and without a sizable total on the board, there was nothing the left arm spinner could hope to do. This too will go in Robin Singh's favour.

Rahul Dravid, a doubtful starter for the third clash is fit and raring to go and this has come as a shot in the arm to the already buoyant Indian team. With the rest of the top order in cracking form the mood in the Indian camp is genuinely upbeat.

The same however, cannot be said of the visitors. Having lost a hard fought series, and fallen short at the 'final frontier,' the Aussies are tiring at the beginning of the Indian summer. The fittest cricket team in the world looks a bit weary with all the traveling helter-skelter, the crowded hotel lobbies, mobs of autograph hunters and yes, some of the umpires they have come across. Then again this is not meant to be a honeymoon in the subcontinent. One man though has made it so for himself - Matthew Hayden. Happily married to the opener's slot, the southpaw has managed to dislodge even the aggressive Adam Gilchrist with his appetite for tall scores. In keeping with Australia's rotation policy however, Hayden is being rested for the third one-dayer. Glenn McGrath too will sit out the game, giving Shane Lee a go at the Indians.

Mark Waugh, with a sparkling unbeaten 133 showed that he is very much in form and an imminent threat. However, the New South Welshman's tour has been cut short with a fractured finger. Hit by a ball from Javagal Srinath, Waugh sustained an injury that will take at least two weeks to heal. With the tour winding to a close the Aussies have not called for a replacement. All Australia requires now is for the men on the bench to put their hands up and say "I'm your man." Who among Darren Lehmann, Damien Martyn and Ian Harvey will be the first to do so? That will determine the Australian team for the remainder of the series. What's more, it could very well be the key in shaping the outcome of the series as well.