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ShareGuwahati: The banter, laughter, camaraderie and customary game of football were all there. But beneath the practised nonchalance of professionals used to playing cricket all around the year, lay the undercurrent of tension, the close-set jaws of players who know their backs are against the wall.
After the October 31 win at the Kotla, it seemed the 22-year-old jinx will finally be broken. For all of India's recent exploits, they have not been able to beat Australia in a bilateral ODI series since 1986-87. Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a smart man, well aware of history. He knows that India were prodigal in Mohali and miscalculating in Hyderabad.
A loss to Australia in this seven-match series will be doubly galling. A few days ago it was being asked whether Australia would be able to gather 11 fit men to contest the series. They were a cribbing, misfiring, self-doubting lot. In a spate of injuries, they lost Moises Henriques, Brett Lee, James Hopes, Tim Paine and Peter Siddle and were sans first-choice Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Nathan Bracken and Callum Ferguson when the series began.
So not only will a win in Guwahati inject tremendous amount of confidence in Ricky Ponting's squad ahead of the 2011 World Cup, for India it would mean their fully fit boys have been defeated by a third-string Aussie side. Surely not a very flattering thought.
Dhoni is mindful of the pressure and did his best to dispel it during the pre-match media session. "Hyderabad did hurt us. But we have left everything in the dressing room. Whatever has happened has happened. It's important to concentrate on what lies ahead and stay fresh mentally." But beneath the philosophising, the disappointment was clear.
"We could have calculated a bit better in the last game. We had about five overs of powerplay left with four-five wickets in hand. More often in such a case the team batting second wins. I think we lost it there. Hopefully we will not repeat the same mistake," he said.
Since that energy-sapping match on Thursday, the Indians have had little rest. They arrived in Guwahati the day after and were involved in a two-hour practice session on Saturday morning. Barring Virender Sehwag, who gave it a miss since it was optional, all others including Sachin Tendulkar had a go. No one is expecting a run feast in Guwahati and the weather remains a worry for both camps.
Dhoni said the Indians are hopeful of getting 50 overs but are not ruling out the D/L method. "The days are shorter here so yes, we are aware of that (D/L system). But since we are starting early, there is no reason why we won't get a full game."
But he refused to speculate on what would be a good total. "We don't have a target in mind. If we bat first, the strategy would be to get a good start and reschedule the score depending on the partnerships."
For Australia, Mike Hussey said the toss is tricky. "It would be a good toss to lose. I have never played here before. So the first 10 overs are crucial."
