After the whipping boys, the world-beaters. Having dispatched, though with some difficulty, the neophyte Dutch on Wednesday, India line up tomorrow for the biggest of them all: the Wizards of Oz. And they are in the peculiar position of knowing that more than a victory, it’s how they play that will be of importance. Even a defeat will be tolerable if India go down fighting; the psychological boost that comes with rediscovering their spine will carry them into the crunch games ahead. Part of the battle will be won off the pitch, and the mind games commenced today. Saurav Ganguly, no favourite with the Australians after beating them at their own game during that heady tour of the subcontinent, said it would suit India’s purpose to get Australia out of their system so early in the World Cup. Ricky Ponting, though lacking Steve Waugh’s penchant for delivering substance with humour, showed he’d picked up enough in 11 months. It’s important, he said to play each game as it comes. Then came the knuckle-duster comment. ‘‘If we can, we are looking to score 300 each time we go out to bat and then put the opposition under pressure by taking early wickets. This is what we did against Pakistan and there is no need to change this when it comes to teams such as India who also have batting depth.’’ That batting depth could be especially handy if, as predicted, there is rain. It rained this even and there were signs that Duckworth/Lewis may be employed tomorrow. India are sticking to the side which beat Holland in Paarl in their opening game. There would be a readjustment in the batting order, however, with Ganguly saying that he would reopen the innings with Sachin Tendulkar to give the top order the substance it needed. ‘‘We were inclined to be a little conservative against Holland and it is the view that we need to change this approach’’, he said. ‘‘For this reason I have decided to open the batting again with Sachin (Tendulkar) and work it from there.’’ Ganguly admitted that there would be a lot of pressure on India in this game as their recent one-day record against the World Cup champions wasn’t too good but he was confident that India had the batting firepower and bowling capabilities to beat the Aussies. Ponting admitted that the title-holders were missing Shane Warne’s input and still hoped he would rejoin the side before too long. It was not a matter either of suggesting that Brad Hogg was a threat to the Indian batsmen. As Ganguly reminded one questioner, Hogg is not in the same class as Warne and as such did not hold too many ‘‘terrors for us’’. So far Australia’s gameplan centred around who would and who would not play in the SuperSport Park game. If Ian Harvey was to be part of the team it would mean dropping a batsman and this would need serious consideration as it would be going in a batsman short. One thing was certain: Andrew Symonds, unless injured, was now a permanent member of the team. It would mean the others would need to work harder for their places. The result may actually hinge on another factor: the pitch, over which the two teams differed. The Australians contended that it would become slower and might affect the side batting second. Ganguly said it was ‘‘an excellent pitch’’; It was firm and hard and, after the experiences in New Zealand would give the batsmen more confidence. Indeed, the advantage may lie with India. Centurion’s steaming hot mornings become baking hot afternoons, favouring spinners such as Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble. This contradicts the thoughts of Hilbert Smith, the venue facility consultant. ‘‘There are so many theories flying around that it is hard to keep track of what is being said and what is actually taking place’’, he said. ‘‘The surface should be quick and the ball come on to the bat. Because of the heat we have to keep the surface a little moist, but it does not necessarily mean that it is going to play slow.’’
