#INDvAUS 4th Test: Suspense, mindgames and a decider

The series is about to end and mind games has hit a crescendo.

The ongoing India-Australia four-Test series has been the toughest for the hosts this season. While the visitors were expected to be steamrolled, they have given a tough fight to level the series 1-1 as they walk into the fourth, that has now become a decider.

After the way Indians dominated Ranchi Test, Dharamshala might have appeared like a lost cause for the visitors. However, skipper Virat Kohli's shoulder injury has given them a reason to go all aggressive in their approach to the final Test.

That's why on Friday, Aussie skipper Steve Smith described Ajinkya Rahane "a bit more chilled out out or not quite as emotional" as Kohli in what can be perceived as his effort at teasing India captain. Smith had just returned after rubbing noses with His Holiness Dalai Lama in hope to find that 'calm and peace' over the next five days.

More than the visitors, it is Team India which might have been losing sleep over last few days. Having been denied what could well be seen as a sure one at lunch interval of the final day of Ranchi Test, Indian thinktank understands how difficult it could be for the hosts to play on a surface, which is likely to produce more bounce than the last three the teams played on.

Kohli is one of the few batters in Team India who loves to play on bouncy tracks. Otherwise, Australians would not have asked for more familiar place to play the decider with snow-covered mountains all around and winds blowing at a temperature near 20 degrees.

If India lose over next five days, the blame could go to Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) old regime which wanted to take the cricket to new venues.

Iyer asked to be ready

To end suspense over Kohli's shoulder, BCCI specially flew in orthopaedic specialist Dr Srikanth Narayanan from Bengaluru on Friday to assess the fitness level of Indian skipper.

Dr Narayanan, it has been learnt, keeps visiting National Cricket Academy (NCA) as and when he is required to give his specialist advise. Meanwhile, Mumbaikar Shreyas Iyer has been asked to be mentally prepared to play on Saturday.

Kohli did walk in with the rest of his teammates at around 9 am for final practice. He immediately picked up his bat and asked batting coach Sanjay Bangar to throw in few deliveries to check how his shoulder responds.

However, he could last only couple of deliveries before having a long discussion on "how he felt while knocking" with Bangar and team physio.

A good 10-minute discussion lasted with Kohli walking off the field. Though, he did play few more deliveries at the net after a good one hour break. Kohli was clear while interacting with media that "he would only play if he is 100 per cent fit" but then this is the mantra he has set for every other individual of the team. Be it KL Rahul or Murali Vijay earlier during the course of series and were made to comeback after getting full fitness.

Pacey conditions

Conditions at this high altitude centre is surely going to favour the fast bowlers. And going by what pitch curator Sunil Chauhan has promised to dole out a good bouncy batting track, there is every possibility that pace bowlers will have a greater say in the game as and when the thick clouds would roll down from Dhauladhar peaks.

These variable conditions would weigh down heavily on both the captains' minds. India, in particular, will be tempted to go in with an extra pacer. And with doubts over Mohammad Shami's fitness, Bhuvneshwar Kumar looks like the best bet in these swinging conditions.

At Ranchi, India's main spinner Ravichandran Ashwin appeared to be fatigued and was used sparingly. Indian thinktank till recently preferred to play with five bowlers and at Dharamshala, chances are that it might revert to this tried and tested theory. This is more so because Wriddhiman Saha and Ravindra Jadeja have come good with the bat in this series.