Even before the euphoria of their Twenty20 World Cup triumph has settled down, India go into the first match of a high-voltage one-day cricket series against Australia in Bangalore on Saturday with both the champion teams talking tough and promising to fight fire with fire.
The off-field mindgames have set the tone for an enthralling seven-match series which will be a test of character for India's new captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Australia is still smarting from the 15-run semi-final defeat to India in the Twenty20 World Cup and the revenge on their mind was made obvious by skipper Ricky Ponting, who challenged the hosts to do an encore in the series.
Ponting, who is a doubtful starter for the opening match because of an injury, has also sparked off a debate by claiming that only his side could be called world champion as it had the ODI and Test title to its credit.
The outspoken Aussie's comments did not go down too well with the Indian camp and flamboyant pacer S Sreesanth and Robin Uthappa reacted sharply to Ponting's assertions.
The war of words has only added more spice to the series, which was already a much-anticipated affair.
Brimming with confidence and on a high after the grand reception they received from adoring fans for their Twenty20 triumph, the Indians would be aiming to carry the momentum and take the early advantage.
A sold-out crowd of 55,000 would make sure that Dhoni's young side gets deafening support at the M Chinnaswamy stadium as they look to continue their dream run.
With the return of the senior trio of Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, the youthful Indian team will also have its share of experience.
But Ponting's side is no less determined and would be aiming to settle a few scores.
The 32-year-old Australian has already stated that his side was not too worried about the trio's return as it knew the strengths and weaknesses of the senior threesome.
Although Ponting is in serious doubt for the series opener due to a hamstring strain, the Aussies have asserted that they have their plans ready to tackle the Indians.
Vice-captain Adam Gilchrist, who will lead the side in Ponting's absence, acknowledged that the Men in Blue were brilliant in their Twenty20 campaign but was quick to add that 50-over was a different ball-game altogether.
The stumper said while the Aussies were old hands in dealing with the pressures of being world champions, the Indians would find it hard to live up to the heightened expectations of a passionate home crowd.
"India is number one in the Twenty20 format; there is no denying to that. The expectation that comes with that is pretty immense," he said.
Indian skipper Dhoni, on the other hand, was his usual calm self even in the face of some tough talking by the visitors.
The 26-year-old Jharkhand player, whose leadership qualities have been praised by one and all, refrained from making any tall claims and only said that his young brigade was excited to take on the Australians at home.
The 'captain cool' will, however, feel the heat as he tries to build on a successful Twenty20 campaign and prove himself in the 50-over format as well.
Curator Narayan Raju has promised a 'lively' pitch and both the sides have the attack to exploit the conditions.
While India would once again be banking on Zaheer Khan and Sreesanth to wreck the Aussie line-up with the new ball, the visitors would be hoping that pace spearhead Brett Lee comes out all guns blazing after a mediocre Tewnty20 World Cup.
Irfan Pathan returns to the Indian fold after more than six months in oblivion and R P Singh will add zing to the attack after their exceptional show during the Twenty20 World Cup.
Australia, in contrast, would be struggling a bit in the absence of Shane Watson. The allrounder had to pull out due to yet another injury breakdown, which has limited the bowling options for the visiting side.
On the batting front, both sides seem to be evenly matched but the Australians looked vulnerable in the Twenty20 World Cup with their middle-order mainstay Michael Clarke being woefully out of form.
Teams (from):
India: MS Dhoni (C), Rahul Dravid, Gautam Gambhir, Sourav Ganguly, Harbhajan Singh, Dinesh Kaarthick, Zaheer Khan, Irfan Pathan, Rohit Sharma, Ramesh Powar, Rudra Pratap Singh, S Sreesanth, Sachin Tendulkar, Robin Uthappa, Yuvraj Singh.
Australia: Ricky Ponting (C), Adam Gilchrist, Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark, Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Matthew Hayden, Ben Hilfenhaus, Brad Hodge, Brad Hogg, James Hopes, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Andrew Symonds, Adam Voges, Michael Hussey.
