India can, if Sehwag will

229 runs 8212; ordinarily, despite the crumbling fifth day pitch 8212; wouldn8217;t trouble the Indians much. But the opposition is Australia, and the cream of the Sachin Tendulkar-less batting order 8212; Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman 8212; has appeared lacklustre at best so far. Sehwag therefore, in current form, emerges as a key element.

Two other factors should help Ganguly and his men sleep well. One, of the 30 wickets to have fallen in the contest so far, only two have perished in the first session, which has been dictated by the batsmen. two, no team has been dismissed below 200 yet.

Thirdly, the target is similar to the one India chased down in Adelaide less than a year ago. Needing 230 for victory, opener Aakash Chopra and Sehwag had seen off the fourth day8217;s play raising 37 runs. A subdued Sehwag 47 did lash out seven boundaries but his stepping out to Stuart MacGill almost put paid to Indian plans until Dravid anchored the Indian win.

For that to happen in Chennai though, team physio Andrew Leipus has to play a serious role, ensuring there are no dehydrated batsmen out in the middle. 8216;8216;When you are batting, the intensity is lot more than when you are fielding. You have your helmets on and you are all padded up. So the amount of body surface area which is exposed to evaporation is a lot less,8217;8217; he explained on Sunday evening. The diet under such conditions, according to Leipus, will be 8216;8216;a combination of water and sports drinks.8217;8217;

Leipus8217; task is cut out. So is that of the Indian batsmen. Now, only if Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh can make a strong opening statement and the rest can take over from there8230;