India battle for survival

Before the crucial game on Monday,Dhoni has multiple problems starting with a bowling attack that lacks bite,which means the batting line-up can't afford any off day.

South Africans take their Sundays quite seriously. Restaurants offer tempting late lazy brunches,trailer cars lead to camp sites while many catch up on beauty sleep for the night out.

For a bunch of visiting Indians here,though,there were no such luxuries as Sunday ended up being the uncomfortable break between their forgettable Saturday night date with the devil and the sinking feeling of meeting the intimidating deep blue sea on Monday.

Nothing has gone right for India since MS Dhoni and his men landed here. It started with a drubbing in the practice game against New Zealand,followed by a leaked report that made them the laughing stock of the tournament and a loss against Pakistan where they came across as a side with a plethora of problems. Though the Australians werent convincing in their opening match against West Indies either,with a win under their belt they do have a head-start in a game that might well see India make their second successive early exit from a major event.

Before the crucial game on Monday,Dhoni has multiple problems starting with a bowling attack that lacks bite,which means the batting line-up cant afford any off day.

Mishra may get the nod

Dhoni admitted as much after Saturdays defeat,saying the team missed Yuvraj Singh in the middle. India are likely to go in with five specialists against Australia,with Amit Mishra making the playing XI. He might be contemplating changes in the playing XI but there are no real big names on the bench that can make a big difference.

For the second game running,Indian batsmen will be up against a top quality pace attack. If the Pakistan battery was a perfect mix of youth and experience,the same can be said about the Aussies Brett Lee is at par with Umar Gul,Peter Siddle is a young exciting pacer like Mohammad Aamer while Shane Watson and Naved Rana are the efficient,no frills bowlers who can never be taken lightly. The only relief for Indian batsmen will be the fact that,unlike Pakistan,Australia dont have quality spinners to complete a well-rounded bowling attack.

In terms of batting too,the two teams are similar,with the relatively inexperienced Aussie batting line-up playing India after a modest first outing against the West Indies. The new opening pair of Shane Watson and Tim Paine is followed by old hands Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey,and India need to ensure that Ponting and Hussey dont repeat a Mohammad Yousuf-Shoaib Malik act.

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Australia captain Ponting has big hopes from newcomers like Paine,Callum Ferguson and Cameron White,who enjoyed a great run during their 6-1 series in England,but it will be the seniors he will be banking on. The performance of our seniors will play a big role in this tournament, he said.

Meanwhile,the big hope for India will be the fact that they havent been intimidated by the Aussies in recent times. Also,Harbhajan Singh,who doesnt enjoy a great record against Pakistan,will be up against a team he relishes facing. It remains to be seen though if the best Indian bowler helps them beat the Monday blues.