Do-or-die match for Team India

NAGPUR: India will need to play out of their skin to stop the mighty Australians from clinching the series as they go into the must-win sixth cricket one-dayer here on Sunday with their confidence dented by the Vadodara debacle.

    

The nine-wicket thrashing in Vadodara not only allowed the Australians to take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the seven-match series but came as a big blow for the home team which had raised hopes of a spirited fightback.

    

The Indians have now been left with the daunting task of winning the last two matches to level the series, a task which is not impossible but appears extremely difficult going by their current form.

    

Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has asked his teammates to forget the Vadodara humiliation and look ahead to the remaining two matches of the series but the Australians are in no mood to allow India to recover at all.

    

The hosts need to put their last defeat firmly on the backburner and raise their game by a few notches at the VCA stadium where the batsmen are expected to have a field day.

    

The key to the Indian batting lies in the opening partnership between Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly as the wicket promises a feast of runs after a dew-freshened first hour's play.

 

"Our main aim would be not to lose wickets in the first ten overs. Whenever we have had a good opening partnership we have put up a good total," said the team's cricket manager

Lalchand Rajput.

   

There could be some help to the new ball bowlers in the morning, with the dew factor coming into play though the wicket would be covered overnight.

    

It would be interesting to see what decision Mahendra Singh Dhoni takes if he wins the toss for the second successive time in the rubber.

    

Mitchell Johnson, the 25-year-old left arm swing bowler, who grabbed his maiden five-wicket haul in Vadodara, and Brett Lee were the nemesis of India in the last game and could again pose a big threat in the first hour's play because of the morning dew.

    

But the Indians, at this point, seem better at setting up a target than chasing it and the team is confident of not only winning the tie on Sunday, but also the seventh and last one at the Wankhede Stadium.

    

"Why not (about India drawing level in the rubber)? The boys are confident. They have come back from 0-2 down in England to level the series 3-3 (and then lost it 3-4). We will go in with positive intent and the boys are very confident," Rajput said.

    

Barring Tendulkar, who came up with an elegant 47 to mark his 400 ODI appearance, the rest of the top-order batsmen succumbed to the swing of Johnson and speed of Lee, who removed struggling Rahul Dravid for a duck.

    

India would be hoping for a big turn-around in Dravid's form, as he is one batsman who can lend solidity to the middle order and bat around the other stroke-makers which will help them to launch an attack in the last overs.

    

Dravid's in woeful touch, having mustered only 44 runs in four innings and the total includes two ducks.

    

However, his shortage of runs is not worrying the team management and they are looking forward to one small break to come up the Bangalore stalwarts’ way.

    

"I don't think so. He's a great player. 'The Wall', needs just that one break (to go on to a big score). He got a good ball that day, first ball," said Rajput when queried whether the middle order mainstay's lack of runs is worrying the team management.

    

An important aspect which could impact the result and strengthen India's hands is the hip injury sustained by the imposing Matthew Hayden when he made a turn for the second run during his half century stand with Adam Gilchrist at Vadodara.

    

If Hayden is unable to play, it would be a huge relief for the Indian bowlers who have been at the receiving end of an imperious assault from Hayden and Andrew Symonds in the series so far.

    

Sources in the Australian camp feel he's almost certain to play after having responded well to the treatment for the injury.

     

But the additional worrying factor from the fifth game is the rediscovered touch of the other opening marauder in the Australian team, Gilchrist.

    

The wicket keeper was struggling in the previous four games mustering only 59 runs but smashed an unbeaten 79 in 77 balls at Vadodara.

    

The left-hander also singled out comeback man Murali Kartik for some special treatment by smacking him for three sixes in one over to dent his confidence somewhat.

     

It's very important for the Indians that Kartik, who bowled very well after bring recalled for the Chandigarh ODI after a 20-month gap, regains his bowling poise.

     

The 31-year-old's bowling in tandem with off spinner Harbhajan Singh in the middle overs could again become crucial on a ground with a very well-maintained outfield but short straight and square (60-65m long) boundaries.

    

The Indians are sure to be egged on by the full-throated support of a capacity 35,000 crowd and it's up to them to take advantage of this additional plus point in their favour.

    

After the hot and humid conditions at Vadodara, the weather here is a little cooler and less oppressive, which should be welcomed by both the teams.

    

The teams

    

India:

M S Dhoni (Captain), Yuvraj Singh (Vice capt.), Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Robin Uthappa, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Murali Kartik, R P Singh,

Zaheer Khan, S Sreesanth, Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Kartik, S Badrinath.

    

Australia:

Ricky Ponting (Capt), Adam Gilchrist, Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark, Michael Clarke, Matthew Hayden, Brad Haddin, Ben Hilfenhaus, Brad Hodge, Brad Hogg, James Hopes, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee and Andrew Symonds.

    

On-field Umpires:

Aleem Dar (Pak) and Amish Saheba (Ind).

    

Third umpire:

Suresh Shastri (Ind).

    

Match referee:

Chris Broad (Eng).