With Anil Kumble opting out, Mahendra Singh Dhoni will lead India against the Australian Capital Territory XI in a warm-up match starting at the Manuka Oval in Canberra on Thursday.
Apart from Kumble, veterans Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly are also set to skip the match to pave way for the likes of Virender Sehwag.
After all the controversies and the bad blood in the wake of the tumultuous Sydney Test, Kumble said his team was now eager to get a taste of the real action.
"It's important we get the best out of this game," he said.
Their focus back on cricket again, the visitors sweated for about a couple of hours in the nets on the eve of the three-day game.
Apart from Sehwag, Dinesh Kaarthick, Irfan Pathan, Pankaj Singh and VRV Singh would get a chance to impress the think-tank in the match to bolster their case for a berth in Perth, venue of the third Test.
Kumble gave enough hints that he was taking the game seriously, for he wanted to get a measure of the bench strength.
"We have been in Australia for the last three weeks and some guys haven't still had a hit in the middle," he said.
Two other players who are least likely to take the game casually are Yuvraj Singh and Wasim Jaffer.
Both have been out of form and in Jaffer's case, the Mumbaikar has failed to provide India a good start.
It's worse with Yuvraj. The team management rejigged the batting order and asked Rahul Dravid, their best bet at number three, to don the makeshift opener's role just to accommodate the left-hander but somehow Yuvraj is nowhere near the form he showed against Pakistan.
-
Complete Coverage: Tour gone sour
Kumble said in absence of the pressure that surrounds a Test match, the off-colour batsmen should make the most of the opportunity.
"It's important for us that whoever has not been among runs gets some runs. This is a good opportunity. We're away from a real pressure situation. Canberra will provide the kind of environment where you can relax and focus on the game," he said.
Dravid looked determined to return to his usual self as he had a prolonged knocking in the nets.
For the hosts, led by Mark Higgs, Chris Rogers would have an extra motivation for the match. The Western Australia player is eyeing the opener's slot in the Perth Test, provided Matthew Hayden's thigh injury keeps him out of the game
