Kohli, Raina in top 10 in ICC T20 rankings

Dubai: Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina are the two Indians to figure in the list of top 10 in ICC Player Rankings for T20I batsmen, while India continue to hold onto the number three slot in the teams category, issued today.

Kohli with 731 points is at number eight position, followed by Raina (719) in the latest rankings table, which is headed by New Zealand`s wicketkeeper captain Brendon McCullum (810).

Yuvraj Singh (14) and Gautam Gambhir (18) are the other two Indians to have found a place in the top-20 batsmen`s list.

In the team rankings, India are placed third behind Sri Lanka and T20 champions the West Indies.

Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is the only Indian to have featured in the list of top-20 bowlers in the shortest format, which is headed by Sunil Narine of the West Indies.

Sydney: Former Test captain Steve Waugh has said it`s time to consider adding one female player to each Big Bash League T20 team`s roster based on the success and ability of Australia`s elite women`s cricketers.

Waugh admitted the idea might seem to some as out there, but he suggested allowing for the likes of Alex Blackwell , who was presented with the Belinda Clark Medal as the state`s best female cricketer on Thursday, fast bowler Ellyse Perry and wicket keeper Alyssa Healy, to match it with the men in the modified version of the game.

Waugh said he thinks it`s about time where they could have one female player per Big Bash side, adding it’s a bit out there, that thought, but he thinks it might be time.

Blackwell, later described Waugh`s view as wonderful because it proved women`s cricket had earned respect.

The NSW skipper, ranked among the world`s best players, said there was no doubt Australia`s top female cricketers would welcome the challenge to play in the Big Bash League.

India vs Australia 2013: Indian bowlers dominate as Michael Clarke scores fighting 91

Hyderabad: Australian captain Michael Clarke stood tall amid the ruins with a classy 91 even as India took early control of the second cricket Test with a dominating display by the bowlers on the opening day here on Saturday.

AS IT HAPPENED I SCORECARD» I HIGHLIGHTS»

Indian bowlers produced clinical performances in the opening and the final sessions on a track which had variable bounce before Australia surprisingly decided to declare their first innings at 237 for nine, wanting to have a go at Indian openers for three overs.

At stumps, India were five for no loss with openers Virender Sehwag and Murali Vijay batting on four and zero respectively as they survived the brief period.

If Bhuvneshwar Kumar ran through the top-order during an incisive first spell, Ravindra Jadeja and Harbhajan Singh wreaked havoc in the post-tea session when Australia lost five wickets for only 28 runs as they slumped to 237 for nine from a relatively comfortable 208 for four.

Jadeja had the best figures of three for 33 while Bhuvneshwar grabbed three for 53. Harbhajan chipped in with two for 52.

Clarke continued his rich vein of form as he started from where he had left off during his superb knock in the first match in Chennai. He missed out on what could have been his 24th Test hundred by just nine runs as he lost his patience with wickets falling at the other end.


He tried a wild sweep shot off left-arm spinner Jadeja to get bowled. The Australian captain faced 186 balls and hit nine fours and a six in the process.

Clarke and wicketkeeper-batsman Matthew Wade (62) added 145 runs for the fifth wicket to bail Australia out of trouble after Bhuvneshwar`s opening spell reduced them to 63 for four in the opening hour and half.

Credit should also be given to Wade, who played a gutsy knock of 62 off 144 balls with eight boundaries. And more importantly, he gave his captain the support he needed.

Wade played with a fractured cheekbone but that did not dent his confidence as he comfortably negotiated the spinners during his three-hour stay at the wicket.

The duo had their anxious moments but overall they handled the spin troika of Ashwin, Harbhajan and Jadeja with ease. While Clarke used his feet to perfection, Wade decided to play with the spin on most occasions as they scored 104 runs in the second session.

The only time that Clarke could have been out was when, on 51, he was dropped by Cheteshwar Pujara at forward short leg off Ashwin`s bowling. That was the only blemish in his innings.

Just when it looked like Wade and Clarke were taking the visitors to a safe total, the former tried a cut shot off Harbhajan only to be caught by Bhuvneshwar at point.

Neither Moises Henriques (5) nor Glenn Maxwell (13) were able to stay for long alongside Clarke as Jadeja dismissed them in quick succession with classical left-armer`s away-going deliveries as it put paid to Australian hopes of a sizeable first innings score.

Once he was out, Clarke might have thought it logical to have a go at the out-of-form Indian openers rather than waste time with batsmen number 10 and 11 at the crease.

Earlier in the day, with suitable help from the wicket, the talented Bhuvneshwar rocked the Australian top-order with a triple strike in his first spell removing openers David Warner and Ed Cowan along with the dangerous Shane Watson.

After a luckless first Test in Chennai, where the Indian spinners got all the 20 Australian wickets, India`s new ball duo of Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar, especially the latter, gave a much better account of themselves, hitting the right areas consistently.

Australian top-order played their shots during the first session but were often troubled by the deliveries that were keeping low.


Young Bhuvneshwar, operating from the Visaka End, bowled a couple of leg-cutters (off-cutter for left-handers) to get rid of Warner and Cowan in the third and fifth over of the innings respectively.

In case of Warner (6), the delivery landed on the seam and cut back enough to take the inside edge of his bat knocking the off-stump back. This was Bhuvneshwar`s maiden Test scalp.

In his very next over, the 23-year-old Uttar Pradesh lad removed Cowan with a similar delivery. The ball landed on the seam and moved a shade as Cowan was trapped plumb in-front. To make matters worse, the ball kept really low and umpire Marais Erasmus adjudged the batsman leg before.

From 15 for two, Phillip Hughes (19) and Watson (23) tried to make amends with a 42-run partnership. Both looked assured with their footwork. Watson, in particular, hit some lovely drives off both Ishant and Bhuvneshwar`s bowling.

Just when it looked like Watson was getting set, he completely misjudged the length of a Bhuvneshwar delivery and was trapped leg before in the process.

The seamer bowled a short one and the ball kept low as it came back in. The batsman committed himself early to a pull shot but missed the delivery completely to be hit on the thigh pads. Umpire Erasmus had a long hard look before raising his dreaded finger.

Bhuvneshwar bowled an unchanged spell of nine overs and his figures read 9-1-36-3.

With wickets falling, Ashwin was introduced from the pavilion end and he kept things tight, bowling four consecutive maidens.

Hughes, under pressure to get a big knock, finally caved in when Ashwin bowled a typical off-break and the batsman went for a cut-shot. Dhoni fumbled on the first attempt but held on to the catch to reduce Australia to 63 for four.

Clarke and Wade then came together to start the repair job.

I would have struggled against Indian spinners: Hussey

Sydney: Retired Michael Hussey has claimed he would have struggled to mount a Chennai salvage mission against world class Indian spinners like Ravichandran Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh and Ravindra Jadeja despite a penchant to wriggle Australia from desperate predicaments. Hussey said he doesn`t miss playing cricket for Australia anymore, adding his decision to retire was right, and it would be silly to say that he could have rescued the visitors in the Chennai Test, News.com.au reports. Hussey, who piled 6235 Test runs at 51.52, added looking at that pitch (Chennai) he didn`t wanted to be the one out there trying to help Australia in that Test, adding it looked particularly tough. Hussey further said it is silly to say that he would have made a difference, adding there were some pretty tough dismissals, the ball that Phil Hughes got in the second innings and Shane Watson were pretty much unplayable, there`s not much you can do about it sometimes.

New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) today told a Delhi court that no "injustice" is being done to sacked IPL commissioner Lalit Modi in the ongoing inquiry against him on an IPL bidding issue and he has not yet challenged the proceedings of disciplinary committee.

The BCCI made the submissions on a plaint filed by Modi against the Board, its President N Srinivasan, disciplinary committee members Arun Jaitley, Jyotiraditya Scindia and others seeking a declaration from the court that the committee is "biased" against him and has not conducted the proceedings so far in a "fair and transparent" manner.

Senior advocate Gopal Subramaniam, who appeared for BCCI, said it is a "serious charge" that the Board is manipulating the proceedings before the disciplinary committee and if it is so, Modi should have sought a judicial review of the inquiry proceedings but he has not done it so far.

"It is a serious charge against the Board. If gross injustice is done to a person at this stage, he will challenge it but he (Modi) has not done so," Subramaniam told Additional District Judge Ruby Alka Gupta.

He argued the proceedings before the disciplinary committee are going on from 2010 and since then, Modi has not challenged it but "what prompted him to do it just two days before next hearing there".

Modi's counsel Abhishek Singh, however, sought an interim injunction restraining BCCI from proceeding against his client before the committee comprising Jaitley and Scindia.

The court, however, refused to give any injunction to Modi and fixed the matter for further hearing of arguments on March 11.

The court asked the BCCI and its officials to file their replies on the plaint by the next date of hearing.

The court had on February 27 issued summons against BCCI, its President, its Administrator Shashank Manohar, Scindia, Jaitley and another disciplinary committee member Chirayu Amin. Except Scindia and Manohar, summons were served upon all the other defendants who had appeared before the court through their counsel.

The court also issued a fresh notice against Manohar while advocate Radha Ramaswami accepted the notice on behalf of Scindia who was out of town.

During the arguments, the counsel for the defendants objected to Mehmood M Abdi being the power of attorney holder for Modi in the plaint on the ground that he is also an advocate.

Abdi, however, clarified he is no longer enrolled as an advocate.

Modi, in his plaint, has said the BCCI disciplinary committee has been conducting the inquiry proceedings after a complaint was lodged against him on April 16, 2010 by the franchisee of Kochi IPL team for making its shareholding pattern public.

Subsequent to the complaint, a show cause notice was issued on April 24-25, 2010 to Modi who was also suspended from BCCI's activities pending the inquiry, it said.

Modi has alleged the inquiry against him was not being conducted in a fair and transparent manner by the committee as a perusal of the proceedings "would show that the records of cross examination of the witnesses have not been properly maintained".

He has also alleged Jaitley and Amin were privy to the allegations made against him by the franchisee of Kochi IPL team and therefore, they should recuse themselves.

During the arguments today, Subramaniam said Modi's claim that they are not being supplied with the complete evidence of witnesses being recorded before the committee and their confirmation emails was not correct as the transcripts are computer generated and they are being sent to them regularly.

"If it is a genuine grievance, he would have given a letter to the committee that I am not getting complete records but there is not even a single averment regarding this and he has not sent any letter to the committee," he said.

Senior advocate Sandeep Sethi, appearing for Jaitley and Amin, also contended all the witnesses are being examined before the committee in the presence of Modi's counsel and he has been given full opportunity to cross examine them.

Sethi further argued Modi has earlier also filed two petitions and one application before the Bombay High Court and the petitions were dismissed there while one is still pending.

"His conduct needs to be seen here. His conduct itself bars him from getting any relief now. It shows that he is desperately trying to somehow stop the proceedings before the committee," he said.

The proceedings before the committee is slated for tomorrow in which Modi's witnesses will be cross examined.

Modi, in his plaint, has sought a declaration that the inquiry conducted against him so far is "illegal, null and void and vitiated by fraud".

"Present is a suit for declaration and permanent injunction filed by the plaintiff (Lalit Modi) seeking reliefs against BCCI and members of disciplinary committee which is conducting an inquiry against the plaintiff," the plea said. - See more at: http://zeenews.india.com/sports/cricket/no-injustice-done-to-lalit-modi-in-inquiry-bcci-tells-court_757378.html#sthash.SH5b1xy2.dpuf

Tags: Michael Hussey, Hussey, India vs Australia, Australia, India, Spinners

Sydney: Retired Michael Hussey has claimed he would have struggled to mount a Chennai salvage mission against world class Indian spinners like Ravichandran Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh and Ravindra Jadeja despite a penchant to wriggle Australia from desperate predicaments. Hussey said he doesn`t miss playing cricket for Australia anymore, adding his decision to retire was right, and it would be silly to say that he could have rescued the visitors in the Chennai Test, News.com.au reports. Hussey, who piled 6235 Test runs at 51.52, added looking at that pitch (Chennai) he didn`t wanted to be the one out there trying to help Australia in that Test, adding it looked particularly tough. Hussey further said it is silly to say that he would have made a difference, adding there were some pretty tough dismissals, the ball that Phil Hughes got in the second innings and Shane Watson were pretty much unplayable, there`s not much you can do about it sometimes.

Tags: lalit modi, BCCI, IPL, former IPL Chairmen, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Arun jaitley

New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) today told a Delhi court that no "injustice" is being done to sacked IPL commissioner Lalit Modi in the ongoing inquiry against him on an IPL bidding issue and he has not yet challenged the proceedings of disciplinary committee.

The BCCI made the submissions on a plaint filed by Modi against the Board, its President N Srinivasan, disciplinary committee members Arun Jaitley, Jyotiraditya Scindia and others seeking a declaration from the court that the committee is "biased" against him and has not conducted the proceedings so far in a "fair and transparent" manner.

Senior advocate Gopal Subramaniam, who appeared for BCCI, said it is a "serious charge" that the Board is manipulating the proceedings before the disciplinary committee and if it is so, Modi should have sought a judicial review of the inquiry proceedings but he has not done it so far.

"It is a serious charge against the Board. If gross injustice is done to a person at this stage, he will challenge it but he (Modi) has not done so," Subramaniam told Additional District Judge Ruby Alka Gupta.

He argued the proceedings before the disciplinary committee are going on from 2010 and since then, Modi has not challenged it but "what prompted him to do it just two days before next hearing there".

Modi's counsel Abhishek Singh, however, sought an interim injunction restraining BCCI from proceeding against his client before the committee comprising Jaitley and Scindia.

The court, however, refused to give any injunction to Modi and fixed the matter for further hearing of arguments on March 11.

The court asked the BCCI and its officials to file their replies on the plaint by the next date of hearing.

The court had on February 27 issued summons against BCCI, its President, its Administrator Shashank Manohar, Scindia, Jaitley and another disciplinary committee member Chirayu Amin. Except Scindia and Manohar, summons were served upon all the other defendants who had appeared before the court through their counsel.

The court also issued a fresh notice against Manohar while advocate Radha Ramaswami accepted the notice on behalf of Scindia who was out of town.

During the arguments, the counsel for the defendants objected to Mehmood M Abdi being the power of attorney holder for Modi in the plaint on the ground that he is also an advocate.

Abdi, however, clarified he is no longer enrolled as an advocate.

Modi, in his plaint, has said the BCCI disciplinary committee has been conducting the inquiry proceedings after a complaint was lodged against him on April 16, 2010 by the franchisee of Kochi IPL team for making its shareholding pattern public.

Subsequent to the complaint, a show cause notice was issued on April 24-25, 2010 to Modi who was also suspended from BCCI's activities pending the inquiry, it said.

Modi has alleged the inquiry against him was not being conducted in a fair and transparent manner by the committee as a perusal of the proceedings "would show that the records of cross examination of the witnesses have not been properly maintained".

He has also alleged Jaitley and Amin were privy to the allegations made against him by the franchisee of Kochi IPL team and therefore, they should recuse themselves.

During the arguments today, Subramaniam said Modi's claim that they are not being supplied with the complete evidence of witnesses being recorded before the committee and their confirmation emails was not correct as the transcripts are computer generated and they are being sent to them regularly.

"If it is a genuine grievance, he would have given a letter to the committee that I am not getting complete records but there is not even a single averment regarding this and he has not sent any letter to the committee," he said.

Senior advocate Sandeep Sethi, appearing for Jaitley and Amin, also contended all the witnesses are being examined before the committee in the presence of Modi's counsel and he has been given full opportunity to cross examine them.

Sethi further argued Modi has earlier also filed two petitions and one application before the Bombay High Court and the petitions were dismissed there while one is still pending.

"His conduct needs to be seen here. His conduct itself bars him from getting any relief now. It shows that he is desperately trying to somehow stop the proceedings before the committee," he said.

The proceedings before the committee is slated for tomorrow in which Modi's witnesses will be cross examined.

Modi, in his plaint, has sought a declaration that the inquiry conducted against him so far is "illegal, null and void and vitiated by fraud".

"Present is a suit for declaration and permanent injunction filed by the plaintiff (Lalit Modi) seeking reliefs against BCCI and members of disciplinary committee which is conducting an inquiry against the plaintiff," the plea said.

- See more at: http://zeenews.india.com/sports/cricket/no-injustice-done-to-lalit-modi-in-inquiry-bcci-tells-court_757378.html#sthash.SH5b1xy2.dpuf

We can definitely restrict India under 230: Matthew Wade

Hyderabad: They have not posted a big first innings total but Australian wicketkeeper-batsman Matthew Wade says their bowlers can still get them a lead against India in the second cricket Test.

Australia declared their innings at 237 for nine after electing to bat.


"These wickets are so different to what we are used to playing on. Any lead will be an advantage at this stage. I feel that if can we bowl well, we can definitely restrict India to under 230. We have got to bowl well enough," said Wade, who scored a valuable 62 and added 145 runs for the fifth wicket with skipper Michael Clarke (91).

About the declaration at the fall of ninth wicket, Wade reasoned, "The main message that we tried sending was let`s try and get a couple of wickets tonight."

"There was up and down bounce. We felt, if we can get the ball in the right areas, get one to stay low or get one to jump up, we can get a couple of nicks or a couple of leg befores. May be, we can have a couple of wickets tonight. That didn`t happen but we are pretty confident that if we hit the stumps enough, we will create enough chances."

Wade applauded the Indian bowlers for keeping up the pressure.

"They (bowlers) bowled well and the ball was reversing. They got early wickets and then challenged us with every ball they bowled. They will play their role throughout well."

About his own innings, the 25-year-old Tasmanian said, "I felt in control today. I felt like my plans against the spinners and quicks came off pretty well. Still, it was pretty disappointing to get out when I did. Myself and Michael had built up a good platform. We lost a lot of wickets in that last session. I was satisfied in a way that my plans worked."


Wade agreed that having Clarke for company during their century plus partnership did help him a lot.

"It was nice to have him there. He is a very experienced player and captain of our team and a very good player of spin as well. So it was nice to have him there just to bounce a few ideas off here and there. It was nice to have a partnership but it would have been nicer had still we remained at the crease tonight," he said.

Wade was quick to defend youngsters Moises Henriques and debutant Glenn Maxwell, who were dismissed cheaply by Ravindra Jadeja.

"It would have been nice to get a few more runs going down the order today but Moises played out of his skin in the last Test match and Maxi's (Maxwell? nickname) first game. I think you will see big runs from those two throughout the tour."

The glovesman was quick to admit that spinners will play a big role tomorrow.

"Absolutely, we have got two spinners plus Michael (Clarke) as well. Davey (David Warner) can have a bowl if he has to. Not only will they play a big role tomorrow but also the quicks. We will be hoping that our seamers can get a couple of lbws or bowled tomorrow."

Wade didn't want to be dragged into the discussion about whether the team members were kept in the loop regarding the changes in the side.

"The team gets announced a day before the game but we don't go into why people aren't playing. That's a decision for Michael and the selectors and the coach to make. We are paid to play cricket for Australia and whatever XI is picked we are going to go out there and do our best to win. "

On a different note, Wade informed that there was absolutely no doubt about his participation in the match after he sustained an injury on his cheekbone (just below the left-eye) while facing throwdowns.

"There was no doubt about it, really. I just needed to check how I woke up. Just to make sure, my eye didn't close over. When I woke up, I looked in the mirror and I could see properly, so I was all good to play," said the player, who had a deep black patch below his left-eye due to the hit.

Wade also said that when conditions suit the spinners, sweep is an important shot for a couple of their players.

"It's about assessing when we play it. England played it here and scored a lot of runs, I think it is a valuable shot. Going into day four and five, sweep will probably play its role."

Doherty is not a Test bowler, Aussie spin mentor Stuart MacGill

Melbourne: Australia`s newly-appointed spin mentor Stuart MacGill has warned the team against bringing in Xavier Doherty for the second Test as he feels the left-arm tweaker is "not a Test bowler" and the move would boomerang on the visitors.

"Xavier Doherty is a great guy, but he is not a Test bowler," MacGill, who took 208 wickets in 47 Tests, told `The Daily Telegraph`.

"I`m sure he is awesome for the team dynamic and in the past five years I would say he has been in Australia`s top three short-form spinners. He is a fantastic short-form bowler, but I don`t think Xavier brings that to Test cricket and his first-class record supports my argument," he said.

Macgill said Nathan Lyon, who took four for 244 in the lost opening Test, should be paired with all-rounder Glenn Maxwell, the only million-dollar buy of this year`s IPL players` auction, in the second Test starting in Hyderabad tomorrow.

"In India right now, we can pick Nathan Lyon and Glenn Maxwell. I wasn`t convinced about Maxwell but after watching the one-day games in the UAE (last August), he thinks he belongs at this level, he is working his butt off, so let`s give him a go," he said.

MacGill defended Lyon despite the fact that he was expensive in the opening Test.

"I am going to ring Nathan before this next Test and have a chat to him. He should be incredibly flattered that India went after him. He was attacked ferociously, but the only reason that they would do that is to try and mess with him," MacGill said.

"If they care enough about you to mess with you, that means they think you`re a threat and they think you are a good bowler," he reasoned.

"Nathan Lyon got three wickets in the first innings. You only need 10. I would be looking at the shortcomings of the batsmen and the rest of the attack before I look at Nathan.

"I`ve spoken to Nathan before about this ... When things become tough, he has a tendency to bowl too fast and too straight. But in the first Test he bowled well, the ball he bowled (Sachin) Tendulkar with was superb and he also got (Virat) Kohli," he added.

Macgill maintained that Lyon would be crucial to Australia`s chances of a comeback in the four-match series.

"The way India batted to him proved to me that they think he`s OK. They are trying to upset him and hit him out of the attack. He is being targeted because they reckon he can bowl and so do I," he said.

India vs Australia 2013: Will Sehwag-Dhawan make a better opening combination?

Zeenews Sports Bureau

New Delhi: While most of the Indian batsmen found some form in the Chennai Test, India’s wait for a formidable opening partnership is likely to extend.

Following a series of poor performances, selectors axed left-hander Gautam Gambhir as they announced the team for the ongoing Australian series. Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay were brought back into the squad.

Murali managed to score just 16 runs in both the innings and was dismissed by Pattinson, who looked Australia’s best bowler. The selectors could probably give a chance to Dhawan who has been in good form of late, as he has scored four first-class centuries and a total of 833 runs this season.

Sehwag is himself under-fire after failing to convert those starts into big scores. The only positive for him was the ton he scored against England in the recently concluded Test series, which may still not be sufficient to keep him in the team for much longer.

We have to play at our absolute best: Shane Watson

Hyderabad: Australian batsman Shane Watson has said his side would have to play at their absolute best to win the second Test against India starting here Saturday.

He also believes that the team would have to play its aggressive brand of cricket to do well in the series, after losing the first Test at Chennai.

"We need to win this Test match. There is no doubt. We need to be certainly at our absolute best to beat India," he told reporters after the visitors had a practice session at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium here Thursday.

"We really need to play our aggressive brand of cricket where we are best as team. We need to find a way to make sure that we play that brand of cricket. We will be making sure as a team go out there and make sure that we really up for the contest," he said.

"I think we have learnt a lot from how India played in Chennai. It was a great learning as a team and as an individual," he added.

About the wicket, Watson said it looked really nice which may also turn at some stage.

"I think the wicket is little bit dry than what it normally is for 20-20 and one-dayers. I think it might turn a little bit at some stage. There may be pace and bounce for the quicks."

Watson was confident that selectors would announce the playing eleven today or tomorrow after looking. Asked if the team was looking for one more spinner, he said this is something selectors are weighing at the moment.

"India`s game plan in Chennai was significantly different from ours as we saw in the second inning when their quick bowlers hardly bowled four or five overs."

Watson said he would not change very much the way he batted in the first Test but admitted that he would have to spend little more time in the middle to continue to show his intent. He also said he was working to improve his game especially against spinners.

"There is a pressure to score runs because you are primarily picked up as a batsman. My role in top four or five is to make runs no matter whether I am bowling or not," he said when asked if there is a pressure to score runs.

Watson said though he enjoy opening the batting, he was happy with the new role at No.4.

Watson said he missed bowling in Chennai Test especially on the day when Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dohni started taking the game away from them.

Watson, who is not bowling due to fitness problem, said he would continue to focus on fitness for next three months before bowling again.

2nd Test, India vs Australia 2013: Preview

Hyderabad: A morale-boosting win clinched in the opening Test, a confident India will look to consolidate their position by putting up another dominant performance in the second cricket Test against Australia starting here tomorrow.

After putting the visitors on the mat, riding on Mahendra Singh Dhoni`s individual brilliance and an equally impressive show from off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, the home team would aim to guard against complacency having learnt their lesson the hard way from the England series.

Dhoni and his men would be determined to ensure that Australians aren`t let off the hook like Alastair Cook`s England, who rallied to win the previous Test series 2-1.

The Indian captain`s superlative effort in Chennai could well turn into a series defining knock and his leading from the front is the shot in the arm that the team required as it was not performing as per expectations in the longer format.

The last time India played at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Uppal, they inflicted a humiliating innings and 115-run defeat on New Zealand with Ashwin grabbing 12 for 85.

That particular match which ended on the fourth day could well have ended inside three days had weather not played spoilsport on the curtailed second and third day.

Therefore Team India will certainly not deviate from their `turning track template` and Ashwin and co will certainly have a huge role to play again as the hosts look to go for the kill.

A 2-0 lead will not only push the Aussies back to the wall but it will also ensure that making a comeback in the four-Test series will be practically impossible for the visitors.

The hosts also have lesser worries regarding the team composition save whether they would be playing local boy Pragyan Ojha on his home ground.

Even though both Murali Vijay and Virender Sehwag flopped in Chennai, Dhoni and the team
management are unlikely to tinker with the opening combination as he had indicated at the post match press conference after the first Test.

The Indian captain has never been a firm believer in too much of chopping and changing and might just like to go in with the winning combination.

The middle-order picks itself and the question arises whether Ojha, who certainly got a raw deal in Chennai, gets to play in front of his home crowd.

Bowling combination is one area where Dhoni will need to put in some thought. While Ojha is a far better left-arm spinner than Ravindra Jadeja, the Saurashtra all-rounder did his cause no harm by picking five wickets in the first Test and complementing Ashwin well.

Harbhajan Singh wasn't at his best in the first innings but looked like hitting some form in the second innings where he got important wickets of David Warner and Matthew Wade.

Playing four spinners can be a luxury as was proved during the Nagpur Test against England as Piyush Chawla was the one who was underbowled in both innings.

But in order to put more pressure on Australia, that's the only way to fit Ojha in at the expense of a pacer.

It is an open secret that Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar don't have the ability to generate consistent reverse swing with the old ball and their pace is hardly troubling the Aussie batsmen with the new ball.

Dhoni might just be tempted to drop one among Ishant and Bhuvneshwar, who collectively sent down 33 overs in the first game with Ishant getting three in the second innings coming in to bowl in the 76th over. The debutant UP pacer didn't get to bowl at all.

Bhuvneshwar, however, was praised for his patient knock which helped Dhoni reach his double century and give India a winning lead of 192 runs.

The Australians, on the other hand, will certainly be tempted to a play a second specialist spinner but even skipper Michael Clarke knows it all too well that neither Nathan Lyon is of Graeme Swann's class nor does left-arm spinner Xavier Doherty possess the calibre of a Monty Panesar

While Doherty's performance was the best among the spinners during practice games, IPL's newest 'Million Dollar Man' Glenn Maxwell will be in the selection radar considering he is a capable batsman.

With Australia's middle-order performing below expectations, a few changes could be expected. Phillip Hughes' way of countering spin wouldn't have inspired the highest level of confidence.

Usman Khawaja is Hughes' direct replacement but there remains a possibility that Shane Watson would be pushed to the No 3 slot, fitting in Maxwell in the middle-order.

This move will also give the Aussies a chance to push in Doherty by dropping either Peter Siddle or Mitchell Starc.

The bottomline for Australia, however will remain how well their skipper bats. The visitors would want that Clarke, who is inarguably their best player of spin bowling, leads the charge once again.

Ideally, they would like Clarke to follow in Cook's footsteps and he has already set the tone with an impressive century in Chennai.

A lot of responsibility will also rest on Shane Watson's shoulders as he is playing in this series purely as a batsman.

Watson is a vital cog in the Aussie set-up and his performance with the willow will certainly have a lot of impact in the remainder of the series.

Moises Henriques' lion-hearted effort must have given Clarke the confident feeling of not only having a batsman adept in handling the Indian tweakers but also a steady wicket-to-wicket medium pacer which gives the skipper chance to play around with his options.

Squads:

India (from): Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Virender Sehwag, Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Ishant Sharma, Ashok Dinda, Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Australia (from): Michael Clarke (capt), Ed Cowan, David Warner, Phil Hughes, Shane Watson, Matthew Wade, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Moises Henriques, James Pattinson, Xavier Doherty, Jackson Bird, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith.

Match starts at 9.30 am (IST).