India will seek to exploit the batting slump of some of Australia's middle-order batsmen when they clash with the world champions in the first of the best-of- three tri-series finals in Sydney on Sunday.
- Aus focused on final: Ponting
Australia's batting has been their Achilles' heels with their middle order, notably captain Ricky Ponting and Andrew Symonds, coming a cropper against the subcontinental rivals in the league stage.
Apart from the century he scored in the last game against India, Ponting has been out of form since the Test series while Symonds has notched up only one half century in eight matches.
Matthew Hayden, who was recently reprimanded by his Board for calling Harbhajan Singh a "little obnoxious weed" has also not fired at the top, having scored just one half century in the seven outings.
Never in the 30-year-old history of the triangular series have Indians managed even a solitary win in the finals against the hosts.
India's three previous experiences -- in 1985-86, 1991-92 and 2003-04 -- had resulted in straight drubbings but Australia's slipshod form this season promises a turn for the better for the Indians.
Ironically for all his unprecedented success, Tendulkar hasn't managed a hundred in 20 outings against Australia all these years; nor one against other teams in 38 matches in all he has played on Australian soil.
Numbers also have piled up for India not with bat, ball or in field alone. Indians also have been booked the most by match referees this summer. Four have been reported and three have been found guilty. Dhoni came close to being hauled up for using illegal wicketkeeping gloves before being let off with a reprimand alone.
The bad blood between the two teams has ensured that not a seat at the SCG would be vacant. Match referee Jeff Crowe, and the two umpires, would have to really strain hard to stop things getting out of hands in the middle.
Hayden is an automatic starter and his duel with the Indian bowlers, and fielders, would carry a spark of its own. Ponting and Symonds too should be subject to special attention in the field from the Indians, as it would be the likes of Harbhajan Singh and Sreesanth from the Australians.
The conditions at the SCG are likely to help the batsmen though the wicket was pretty damp to start with this afternoon. Hot blazing sun for the rest of the day is predicted which would allow the batsmen to come on to their own.
Dhoni did not want to comment if he has evolved as captain and was flippant when asked if there was something about the Sydney water, as rival captain Ponting had said the other day, which was causing the bad blood to exist between the two teams.
"May be they should get a few samples (of the water) to the lab and get it tested. It doesn't make a difference to us anyway as we've been drinking mineral water," was the cryptic reply of Dhoni beneath a typically benign smile playing on his face.
The Indian skipper was asked if Hayden was rested in the game against Sri Lanka as punishment for his unprovoked remarks against Harbhajan Singh the other day.
"May be (he was given break) because he wanted to be in the boxing ring ... He wanted to box," said Dhoni barely able to control his giggle as he offered his reply.
As for the possibility that his side could create history, Dhoni was again at his flippant best.
"I don't know about creating or not (history) but you become a part of history, whether for good or bad, once you play."
Dhoni has the rein of India's young brigade for sometime now but he did not want to comment if his captaincy has had a learning curve in the last few months.
