Team India brace up for the short stuff

The Indians practiced in three batches — Sehwag,Gambhir,Harbhajan,Zaheer and Ishant were followed by Sachin Tendulkar,VVS Laxman,Sreesanth and Amit Mishra while the third batch consisted of Rahul Dravid,Pragyan Ojha,Cheteshwar Pujara with Jaidev Unadkat and Umesh Yadav staying back to help the team out. Each spent around 45 minutes in the nets,taking turns to face the bowlers and Kirsten. Dravid looked rusty but settled into the groove quickly.

Australia pacer Mitchell Johnson set the tone early on in the series when he spoke about targeting Sehwag with the short stuff. “Sehwag is someone we can bowl a lot of short balls to. I don’t think he’s too confident with the short ball early. The last time we were over here we came out and he was hitting good balls for four or six,so that is something in our mind,” he had said,though Sehwag has refused to be drawn into a verbal duel.

Gambhir too has struggled in recent times against quality short-pitched bowling during the World T20 and against Pakistan during the Asia Cup. With the SG ball holding good early on and not swinging too much,Australians have a ready plan to hit the deck hard short of the length.

“There are a few things we know we can make the most of with some of the Indian batsmen,” said Shane Watson. “I think with a few guys it doesn’t necessarily have to be raw pace,but getting a few short balls up a few of their top-order batsmen is going to be really important,to set the tone for our bowling side,” he added. Gambhir too has refused to comment. “Every team comes here with their own strategies; they have one too,” he said.

Off-spinner Harbhajan,meanwhile,Indian went through a full session despite pain in his calf. He’s keen to get through the two-Test series but a final decision is expected only on the eve of the game.

There’s no question mark over the fitness of the three seamers though,with Sreesanth appearing promising with every passing spell. But India’s final bowling combination would depend largely on the pitch dished out — heavy sunshine in the last four days would have left the pitch bereft of moisture and groundsman are unlikely to leave much grass on it.