Determined Australia look to seal series in Guwahati

Guwahati, Nov 7 : Buoyed by back-to-back victories in Mohali and Hyderabad with a depleted side, Australia would look to wrap-up the seven-match ODI series against India when both the sides lock horns against each other in the sixth one-day international here tomorrow.

If one compares the body language of both the teams, especially the captains, Ponting has a definite edge as they are coming as a team and all of a sudden India looks like vulnerable.

''Yes, our middle-order is not doing well consistently and I will not say we are worried but one of the top three has to carry his bat through and middle order has to do well to win,'' said Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

But the Australian dressing room is upbeat. The visitors are already talking of the formation of a new Australian team for the 2011 World Cup as despite a depleted side, they are doing fantastically well in the sub-continent.

''That is most important and we are coming good as a team,'' said Michael Hussey at the pre-match press conference.

The Aussies are elated over their bench strength especially the way pacers Doug Bollinger and Clint McKay slipped into the shoes of Bret Lee and Mitchel Johnson.

Australia has just one tough nut to crack and that is Sachin Tendulkar, who produced a majestic 175 and almost single handedly took the match away from the Aussies.

Dhoni had no hesitation to admit that Tendulkar still remains the most potent force in the Indian ranks even after so many years of grind.

But he was careful enough not to put extra pressure on the little master, asserting that one of the top three has to fire.

''Then it is easier for Yuvraj and me to come more freely without bothering abouth the wickets as we love to dominate the bowling from the beginning'' he said.

The pitch here is a newly relaid one, and the curator insists that that it will be a high-score match, even though it has proven to be bowler friendly in the past.

Hussey was also candid that after Mohali and Hyderabad, the team was both mentally and physically drained and would not like to carry the series to Mumbai for a decider.

''We would like to end it here,'' he said.

It may be recalled that Ricky Ponting's men arrived in India without three key players as Michael Clarke, Nathan Bracken and Brad Haddin stayed back home with injuries.

To make it worse, Brett Lee, Tim Paine, James Hopes, Peter Siddle and Moises Henriques advanced their return tickets after suffering niggles that did not heal.

But even then, the World Champions remained at the top and in all the matches they won, they dug their heel dip to win it from the jaws of defeat exposing the weak links of the Indian team.

India found a brief momentum through the individual efforts of Dhoni's 124 at Nagpur and Yuvraj Singh's 78 at Delhi while Tendulkar's 45th ODI hundred nearly pulled the rug from beneath Ponting's feet.

There is a lesson here to be learnt as it's a collective effort that adds value to individual brilliance.

The bowling, meanwhile, has struggled for consistency and the fielding has had its moments though, in crunch situations like at Hyderabad, errors crept in.

The next two ODIs offer a chance for redemption and a come-from-behind series victory against the top-ranked team will help the team gain confidence.

Dhoni however, is worried that Guwahati being the eastern most venue of the country, there could be an early start from 0830 and morning dew factor would come in to play.

The Australians are also concerned about the issue as sun goes up early and sets down early as well.

Dhoni, smarting from two back to back losses, however maintained that he and his teammates had left the Hyderabad match at the dressing room.

''Every match is different and we have started afresh.

Tomorrow it will be a whole new game,'' he stressed.

The Indians, meanwhile, have the ability but the consistency has remained elusive.

Dhoni has often stressed on the need for patience while dealing with his relatively young team but, in run-up to the 2011 World Cup, his men have to fuse into a wholesome performing unit and, hopefully, Tendulkar will accede to the requests of greats like Sunil Gavaskar to keep on playing until then.

--UNI

(c) 2009 Published with permission from United News of India.
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