The contrast in the moods of the two captains said it all. The scoreline in the India-Australia Test series reads 1-0 in favour of the visitors and that was enough for home skipper Sourav Ganguly to remain his terse self.
In contrast, Adam Gilchrist was chirpy at the press conference. "Do I look worried?" he said. "We are not at all worried. Excited maybe, but definitely not worried."
The Australians had a two-hour net session at the Vidarbha Cricket Association ground that ended just before noon. Skipper Ricky Ponting, who has joined the team in Nagpur, also batted for 30 minutes. He has been out of action owing to a thumb injury sustained in the ICC Champions Trophy semi-final against England last month, and is expected to return to lead the side in the final Test in Mumbai.
The Aussies know they are on the brink of history. They had been there in 2001 as well, but let it all slip in one day. "The only mistake we made in 2001 is that we celebrated too early," opener Justin Langer, who was also a member of the 2001 side, had said on his arrival in India last month-end.
Stand-in captain Gilchrist knows that India is far from being knocked out of the series just yet. "At 1-0 we definitely have our nose in front," he said. "But there is still a lot of cricket to be played. Everything can change in one day, we witnessed that on the first day in Chennai."
The Australians may also be staring at the prospect of master batsman Sachin Tendulkar making a comeback for India after a five-week layoff owing to a tennis elbow.
"We have definite plans for him, you will see it in the game tomorrow," Gilchrist promised. "We have an idea about how we are going to bowl to him. We are very respectful of him and we are happy that we will finally get a chance to put into practice what we have planned for him."
Tendulkar looked strong batting in the nets, and Ganguly gave him the vote of confidence, saying, "The way Sachin batted in the net for two days, it didn't look like he hasn't batted for two months. Not only his batting, his bowling is important as well. He is as good as our fifth bowler."
If the Australians are on the verge of creating history, India have their task cut out. One mistake and the walls of The Final Frontier will disintegrate faster than expected.
Ganguly may speak in clipped tones, but he seldom gives the nerves away. Even on the eve of the Nagpur Test, he chose not to be overwhelmed by the odds. "It is a very important game for both the teams," he said.
Ganguly confirmed that fast-medium bowler Ajit Agarkar would play in the Test starting Tuesday. "We will go in with two quicks. I think the wicket will turn as the Test match goes on."
Coach John Wright said Agarkar's inclusion would provide variety and experience in the fast bowling department.
Meanwhile, the fight for the opening slot is strictly between Yuvraj Singh and Aakash Chopra, with Ganguly making it clear that Parthiv Patel will not be made to open the innings.
"We have gone into the Test series with three specialist openers. We have considered Yuvraj as a specialist opener. Obviously Parthiv's not opening," he said.
The team management had made its preference for Singh clear when Chopra was axed after failing in the first Test. Chopra played with a handy average of 23.25 in Australia in the series last year, but the match in Bangalore (0 and 5) put him out of favour with the selectors electing to experiment once again with a makeshift opener.
But the left-hander hasn't done much either, scoring 47 runs in four innings in this series, and looking out of sorts in the opener's role in Chennai.
But the refusal to make the wicket-keeper open means that if Tendulkar does play in Nagpur, the batsman certain to get axed is Mohammed Kaif, who scored a crucial half-century in the previous game in Chennai. V V S Laxman, who has been a shadow of his former self, will slip down to the number 5 slot and let Tendulkar resume his usual number 4 slot in the batting lineup.
The green top in Nagpur has prompted the Australians to include fast bowler Brett Lee in their squad of 12 for the match in place of off-spinner Nathan Hauritz. Gilchrist said Lee is a "definite option" even though Ponting, for whom he is deputising, had stated that Australia would not disturb their bowling combination.
The match will also be Glenn McGrath's hundredth Test, and the medium-pacer will strive to make it special for himself and his team. Another milestone approaching for McGrath is 450 Test wickets; he is just four short of the mark.
At least till the match begins, Australia can keep all the smiles.
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