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Kapil plumps for pace

In a rather surprising move -- surprising, considering that both coach Kapil Dev and captain Sachin Tendulkar had said that their goal during the warm-up games was to give each player at least one outing -- Kapil Dev today said after the Indians finished their practise session at the SCG, that they would field all four seam bowlers in the game against New South Wales Blues tomorrow.

This means that Harbajan Singh will not get a game.

'We need to change our attitude,' Kapil said, indicating that in Australia, the team would need to start thinking of seam, not spin, as the main weapon.

While it makes sense of a sort, one does wonder whether the management, by not letting Harbajan get a single game in, could be hampering its own chances to force a win on the spin friendly tracks in Sydney and, to an extent, Adelaide.

Interestingly, Sachin Tendulkar will sit this one out, with vice captain Saurav Ganguly leading the team out. Hrishikesh Kanitkar, who left his duties at the head of the India A squad to fly down to Australia and join the squad, will also turn out tomorrow.

As Kapil Dev announced it, the team for the game reads: Sadagopan Ramesh, Devang Gandhi, Sourav Ganguly (captain), Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Vijay Bharadwaj, Ajit Agarkar, Hrishikesh Kanitkar, Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath, Debasis Mohanty, Venkatesh Prasad.

The question is who the 12th man will be -- and the smart money is on either Devang Gandhi, or Ajit Agarkar, having to carry out the drinks.

NSW, which will rest its stars, the Waugh twins and Glenn McGrath among others, will line up as under: Greg Hayne, Corey Richards, Michael Bevan (capt), Shane Lee, Michael Clarke, Greg Mail, Brad Haddin, Gavin Robertson, Stuart MacGill, Brett Lee, Don Nash, Jamie Heath