The first thing Australia coach Mickey Arthur did on reaching the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium was to walk upto the curator Daljit Singh and jokingly ask him: Hope you are preparing the same pitch as in the Champions Trophy 2006 (when Arthur coached South Africa and his side dismissed Pakistan for a mere 89 in seaming conditions)? Daljit only smiled. Arthur knew what his team would have to contend with during the third Test beginning Thursday. This wont be the typical PCA Stadium pitch where seamers enjoy conditions more than the spinners. Watering has been minimal and the pitch will be left dry. The weather,meanwhile,has turned warm and there will be no nip in the air to assist seam movement. The wicket may have already gone through some late-season wear and tear. Spin it will be. The Indians will be happy to know conditions will once again help their spin attack,if not as much as in Chennai and Hyderabad. One man in particular will be thankful. Over the last two seasons,local boy Harbhajan has turned out in plenty of Ranji games at Mohali,but most of these have been on green wickets that better suit Punjabs seamers. A Mohali wicket with some help for spinners will add an extra spring in his stride. With Harbhajan having only taken five wickets in the first two Tests,one school of thought might advocate that he make way for Pragyan Ojha. After all,Ojha missed out on selection in Hyderabad,his hometown,so why not leave out Harbhajan at Mohali? But the off spinners former coach and Dronacharya awardee Desh Prem Azad is banking on his ward to pass the Mohali test. India should go in with both Ravichandran Ashwin and Harbhajan Singh as their main frontline spinners, he says. Azad,who trained Harbhajan at the PACE Academy in Chandigarh during his school years,says he is slowly getting back in his groove: He hadnt been flighting the ball properly in the last few years,but now he is regaining that loop. His confidence is coming back. Plus there are many left handers in the Aussie batting lineup so both offies should play,backed by Ravindra Jadeja, Azad says.
