The Australians will be all geared up to win here, in India, to do something they haven't done for 31 years now, but I think we have an equally good chance to win. One way or the other, it is going to be a very good contest.

What it will take to win, for us, is to have runs on the board and put them under pressure. And I guess, being slightly facetious here, my not being able to play is not a problem in this department. Jokes aside, I have always tried to contribute with the bat -- but my point is, the way to win is for us to put between 300-400 runs on the board, and we have the batsmen to do that. True, we also have to bowl them out twice, but I think this team is capable of doing that.

Srinath had a big role to play last time, and I think he will be crucial this time round as well. In my opinion, Raju would have been the other trump card for us -- but that is my opinion and apparently, the selectors don't share it.

The opening partnership will be crucial for us. The Aussies will be looking at pace and not spin as their weapon, that much is obvious from the squad they have picked. For us, I think a combination of pace and spin is the way to go, and I believe that Srinath's opening spell will hold the key for us. In the past, when he picks up two or three quick wickets, it was easy for us to apply pressure, it was easier for me to bowl to the likes of Steve and Mark Waugh when they were 20/2, rather than 100/1. If you think back to the last time Australia was here, that was the problem Shane Warne faced -- he would come in to bowl with our score reading 100/1 or some such.

Steve Waugh is leading, and he has experience of our conditions and will know what to do in most situations. Mark Waugh, too, has been here before and besides, he is now running good form. Shane Warne failed last time, but I don't think we can theorise from this and say he will fail here again -- I suspect he will be here wanting to prove a point, and it is very important that we don't take it lightly. Similarly, given that the ball reverse swings a lot, here in India, Damien Fleming is also going to be a very important player for the Aussies. As for McGrath, his length is his strength, he is not quite as effective with bounce, but he can put the ball on the spot as long as you like.

How Das performs with the bat is going to be crucial for us -- he needs to fire, to get runs at the top. If he can do that, then the trio of Rahul, Sachin and Saurav will have a platform to perform on. Sachin obviously is going to be the key to our batting -- he has over 1000 runs against Australia, and I am hoping he gets a lot more this time.

Another vital area for us is the fielding. You get wickets by creating pressure, and you create pressure by not giving away easy runs. The moment the batsman starts worrying about where his next run is coming from, then he is apt to panic and do something silly. But if he knows that every over or two a bad ball is going to come along, then he will wait for that. The Aussies, we need to remember, don't like to be forced to look for runs, they don't like being tied down. We need to exploit that, and use the help we get from our wickets to add to the pressure.

The way the two warm-up games went is also going to be a big factor. When a domestic side has the visitors on the run, it makes a lot of difference. It is true that in the warm-up games the touring side is looking to find its feet, try out certain things, trying out players, strategies, and looking to learn. But still, touring sides -- and especially a side like Australia, which has become used to winning everything in sight -- does not look to be challenged by domestic teams, and when that happens, it does add to the pressure. The last time round, Bombay beat Australia and it made a big difference. They got a shock, and they never recovered. Had the Aussies been beaten in at least one of the tour games this time, it would have been even better for us.

If I were to call this, I would say that batsman to batsman, we are equal. They have the depth in bowling, we have the home advantage. So it is all going to boil down to how well we bat -- if we put 350 on the board, they will be under pressure.

What follows, is my take on the leading players in the Australian side:

Stephen Rodger Waugh		Mark Edward Waugh
Ricky Thomas Ponting		Shane Keith Warne
Glenn Donald McGrath		Adam Gilchrist
Damien Fleming

(As told to Faisal Shariff)

Mail Cricket Editor