Talk to me,’’ said Zaheer Khan. Adam Gilchrist carted him around the park and smiled back instead. That was the World Cup final 2003. Zaheer’s misplaced bravado set the tone for the end of all Indian aspirations in South Africa.That Sunday night in Johannesburg sure scarred India’s strike bowler. Even in the recent Test series against New Zealand, barring one evening of brilliance, Zaheer’s below par showing has affected India’s chances of seeking revenge. However, Sunday’s day-night affair against the World Champions could well be Zaheer’s best chance to redeem some pride. The fact even acknowledged by India’s stand-in skipper Rahul Dravid. ‘‘The first fifteen overs would be the most important part of the game.’’ He may prove right as the strong Australian batting line-up could mean yet another Jo’burg-ish leatherhunt against off-form spinners on a small ground like this here. To avoid that Zaheer has to live upto his his skipper’s expectations on the pitch at the Captain Roop Singh Stadium. While Dravid called it ‘‘a good one-day wicket where we can put on a safe total of 300’’, his Australian counterpart Ricky Ponting said it was ‘‘a flat track with shiny top, which might turn’’.The captains thought the toss would make no difference as conditions were not expected to change dramatically. ‘‘You need to score above 250 because anything below 250 is an easy target in India,’’ said Ponting. The Aussie skipper was a bit worried about the dew factor but suggested things would be under control after the use of super sopper during mid-innings.As is the practice, the Australians named their playing XI leaving out Michael Kasprowicz, Jimmy Maher and Michael Clarke.When asked about the Aussie composition, Dravid played it down. ‘‘We have learnt over the years they (Australia) have enough reserve strength and fight back when the chips are down.’’ He said India wanted to be flexible and might retain the eleven which played in Chennai.Ponting in particular made a pertinent point when he remarked that there was no threat from the long Indian tail. ‘‘ We would not mind if they keep coming at us in the early stages, for that will provide us a chance to pick up wickets. As we saw in Chennai, there is not much batting to come after the top six.’’The Aussie skipper can afford to speak for he has all the aces in the pack, and his best bet — Matthew Hayden is in prime form. A day before, ‘The Hulk’ prayed on the pitch possibly looking out for some good luck. How would Dravid control Hayden? ‘‘Just by bowling in the right areas and hoping he hits one in the air for a catch,’’ said Dravid.TEAMS (From)India:Rahul Dravid (capt), Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble, VVS Laxman, Parthiv Patel (wk), Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ajit Agarkar, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Hemang Badani, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammed Kaif, Murali Karthik, Virender Sehwag. Australia: Ricky Ponting (Captain), Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Damien Martyn, Michael Bevan, Andrew Symonds, Brad Hogg, Nathan Bracken, Andrew Bichel, Brad Williams, Ian Harvey Umpires: Neil Mallender (England), K Hariharan; Third Umpire: AV Jayaprakash; Match-referee: Ranjan Madugalle.
