India walk tightrope today

In fact, on the evening before the Champions Trophy game that will decide the last semi-final slot, Dravid admitted to the fading star power of the batsmen while adding that 8220;we have been better in the last game but not good enough8221;.

In the season of batsmen-bashing, Dravid8217;s hint at a turnaround may seem lame on the face of it but mulishly predicting a slide would be foolhardy, too. To begin with, one should wipe out two common misconceptions. First, this isn8217;t the same pitch that supported the myth about sub-continent batsmen being exposed by a lively four-pacer attack. Second, these aren8217;t the Aussies of old. They don8217;t quite have the topdraw speedsters, and it was only the other day that the famous batting line-up collapsed quite un-Aussie-like against the West Indies.

Repeatedly during the pre-match briefing, the Indian skipper had a ready argument for any contentious question about the composition or the batting line-up. 8220;Opinions vary from person to person. My way of looking at things might be different from yours,8221; he said. And then he placed it in perspective by saying, 8220;It wouldn8217;t be something of a miracle to beat the Aussies but all we need is a good performance.8221;

Why did he say that? One is constantly reminded that Virender Sehwag averages 28 in the last 10 games but the small print also shows that he has two scores of 90s in the same period. Dravid averages 14 from the last 11 games but those at Motera would vouch that the skipper8217;s focus to play in the V saw him take a U-turn finally. His 67-ball 49 and unfortunate runout meant it was luck that deserted Dravid at the wrong time. They said Irfan Pathan at No 3 was a topic of national debate but scores of 46 and 64 in the last eight innings as a one-drop batsman and an average of 20 meant India should find more pressing issues to debate.

However, the defence of Suresh Raina 8212; average of 18 from 13 games 8212; is virtually impossible, and that8217;s where it is advisable to look at replacements. Apart from Yuvraj, of course. And from the looks of it, Mohammad Kaif, with an average of 45 from the last two series, and Dinesh Mongia, who had scored 63 not out from India8217;s 195 against Australia at Malaysia last month, might be the two middle-order replacements.

An Indian batting comeback, though, would also depend on the way the Aussies have been bowling. Taking Australia8217;s loss to West Indies as an indicator, it is clear that Brett Lee and Glenn McGrath haven8217;t yet found the rhythm 8212; both went for over five runs per over. Shane Watson and Nathan Bracken, too, haven8217;t been really impressive. But on a pitch that promises bounce, though not quite the seam movement as in the last game, the Aussie pacers can return to form.

However, if one is stuck on the fact that the glass of water was half empty, there was enough for Dravid to take an aspirin and get over the headache that he might have had after the string of recent batting setbacks.

INDIA vs AUSTRALIA

Australia: Ricky Ponting captain, Nathan Bracken, Michael Clarke, Dan Cullen, Adam Gilchrist wk, Brad Hogg, Mike Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee, Damien Martyn, Andrew Symonds, Shane Watson, Simon Katich

India: Rahul Dravid captain, Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Dinesh Mongia, MS Dhoni wk Munaf Patel, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Suresh Raina, RP Singh, S Sreesanth, Ramesh Powar

Officials: Umpires: Steve Bucknor WI and Billy Bowden NZ ; Third umpire: Mark Benson Eng ; Fourth umpire: Rudi Koertzen SA; Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle SL

Hours of play IST: 2.30 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 6.30 p.m. onwards Live on SET Max