World champion Australia begins the first of a four-Test battle on Wednesday to end a 35-year drought, but the battlefield in India is a dry, grass-less pitch that threatens to crack quickly and suit the hosts better.
”It’s pretty dry,” both the Australians and the Indians said after a preliminary inspection of the pitch early this week. But the Indians were delighted as it will help their spinners get the ball turning big and early.
The Aussies are looking for their first Test series win in India since 1969, when Bill Lawry’s team triumphed 3-1. The most senior member of the current team, legspinner Shane Warne, was born that year.
Ace Indian legspinner Anil Kumble said India plans to play three spinners and use them early in the innings.
”It’s fantastic for spin,” he said adding he couldn’t wait to take the three wickets needed to round off his test tally at 400.
Harbhajan Singh and Murali Kartik will aid Kumble.
Australia’s chief weapon is Warne, who is looking for an even greater milestone — the all-time record of 532 wickets. The 35-year-old is just five short of Muttiah Muralitharan’s mark and knows this tour is probably his last chance to amend his poor show so far on Indian wickets.
The Australian spin attack includes Cameron White and Nathan Hauritz, and two part-time left-arm orthodox bowlers in Darren Lehmann and Michael Clarke.
While the spinners drool over the pitch, the two team managers were busy thinking up replacements for their injured stars — regular Australia captain Ricky Ponting is nursing a thumb injury and India’s Sachin Tendulkar has tennis elbow.
”It’s a big blow for us,” Warne said about Ponting’s absence, but added the Australians were not letting it affect their frame of mind.
India captain Sourav Ganguly refused to rule out Tendulkar, but team physiotherapist Andrew Leipus believes Tendulkar is very doubtful for the first Test.
The little master was seen training at the gym Monday, making one last effort to get back into shape in time for the first test. He did not practice at the nets, though.
Kumble said the ground takes a lot of water and more rain should not be a bother.
”In spite of a whole night’s rain, we practiced the first thing this morning. This doesn’t happen everywhere,” he said.
The Aussies won the last Test they played in Bangalore, beating India by eight wickets in March 1998 on a similar slow turning track.
”We have won here the last time around. So we are going into it with confidence,” Lehmann said.
As onlookers gathered outside the fiercely secured stadium, replacement Australia captain Adam Gilchrist said the team was readying for a keen contest.
He said he expects Tendulkar to play, but said India would be a strong team even without him. Also, Gilchrist said his men had a plan to tackle India’s spinners and were ”ready to go.” – Sapa-AP