World champion Australia begins the first of a four-test battle on Wednesday to end a 35-year drought, but the battlefield in India is a dry, grass-less pitch that threatens to crack quickly and suit the hosts better.
"It's pretty dry," both the Australians and the Indians said after a preliminary inspection of the pitch early this week. But Indians hardly concealed their delight as it will help their spinners get the ball turning big and early.
The Aussies are looking for their first test series win in India since 1969, when Bill Lawry's team triumphed 3-1. The senior-most member of the current team, legspinner Shane Warne, was born that year.
Ace Indian legspinner Anil Kumble said India plans to play three spinners and use them early in the innings.
The teams
* India: Sourav Ganguly (captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Aakash Chopra, Virender Sehwag, V.V.S. Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Parthiv Patel, Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble, Ajit Agarkar, Murali Kartik, Irfan Pathan and Zaheer Khan
* Australia: Adam Gilchrist (captain), Darren Lehmann, Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden, Damien Martyn, Simon Katich, Michael Clarke, Shane Watson, Cameron White, Shane Warne, Nathan Hauritz, Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie, Michael Kasprowicz, Glenn McGrath
* India: Sourav Ganguly (captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Aakash Chopra, Virender Sehwag, V.V.S. Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Parthiv Patel, Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble, Ajit Agarkar, Murali Kartik, Irfan Pathan and Zaheer Khan
* Australia: Adam Gilchrist (captain), Darren Lehmann, Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden, Damien Martyn, Simon Katich, Michael Clarke, Shane Watson, Cameron White, Shane Warne, Nathan Hauritz, Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie, Michael Kasprowicz, Glenn McGrath
RSS