Can India stop the Australian juggernaut in the second ODI at Nagpur on Wednesday? They certainly showed that they have the wherewithal to douse the World champions' fire in the four-run defeat in the opening game of the seven-match series in Vadodara on Sunday.
And with the news that pace ace Brett Lee and all-rounder James Hopes will miss the match due to injury, and Mitchell Johnson still doubtful, their confidence is on a high.
The hosts are also motivated by the fact that the last time the two teams met at the Vidarbha Cricket Association, Australia were thrashed -- by 172 runs -- never mind that it was a Test match last November.
Harbhajan Singh was the star performer in that match with a haul of seven wickets and India will be hoping the out-of-form off-spinner, who has enjoyed a good run with the bat against Australia in recent Tests and ODIs, can recreate some of that old magic and make a sizeable contribution with the ball.
"One good thing is he is batting well, but we would like him to bowl much better than what he is bowling," said Mahendra Singh Dhoni on the eve of the match.
India's captain has reason to be miffed about the offie's bowling. Harbhajan was a big disappointment with the ball in the last few games. He conceded 111 runs in 19 overs while picking just a wicket in his last two matches against Australia.
"He is an experienced bowler. Everybody has off days, so you can say he is going through a patch where he is not bowling at his best. He is bowling well, but not at this best. The kind of individual he is, he always bounces back and loves challenges. We have confidence in him. He is spending time in the nets sessions, working on his bowling. But we are not too worried about him."
POWERPLAY
The Indian batsmen are also struggling to get to grips with the game's latest innovation -- Batting Powerplay. In the last match against Australia in Vadodara, India ended up losing three wickets for 33 runs in those five overs of fielding restrictions, which Dhoni later said was the turning point of the match.
Similarly, in the final of the tri-series in Sri Lanka last month, India scored just 33 runs in the Powerplay despite losing just one wicket and Sachin Tendulkar batting on a hundred.
Dhoni is still adamant that the best time to take the Powerplay is the 34th over, when the umpires change the ball.
"Most likely, in the subcontinent, when you are batting first, you want to take the Powerplay around the 34th over, because that is the best time. The ball is hard and does not reverse much, and if you have set batsmen and have the luxury of seven or eight wickets in hand, you have the luxury that despite losing a couple of wickets you can accelerate. You then look to carry on the momentum in the slog overs. So that is one of the many ways of using the Powerplay," he said.
BATTING LINE-UP
He also refused to make much of Adam Gilchrist and Sourav Ganguly's suggestion that he should bat higher up the order. He felt that after keeping wickets for 50 overs it is difficult for him to come at number three or four and bat through the innings or vice-versa.
"To bat every time at number three or four is difficult for me. It is a very difficult change to make, because if you look at our batting order we have got Viru [Virender Sehwag] and Sachin [Tendulkar] to open, Gautam [Gambhir] at three, Yuvraj [Singh] at number four, next slot vacant is number five.
"Depending on the strength of the individuals, players who can have a bigger impact on the game, accordingly we select individuals to bat at that particular slot. So let's see. Of course, I float at times, bat at different slots, but we have a fixed batting line-up when it comes to these four guys playing the game.
"We have a fixed batting order. Of course, if the attack has more off-spinners we may shift Yuvraj at number five, we have done that."
YUVRAJ BACK
India's captain is also relieved at having Yuvraj Singh back in the team after the left-hander was forced to miss the Champions Trophy and the first ODI because of injury.
"Of course, Yuvi has been the backbone of our batting line-up. I feel the number four spot is important, especially with the second Powerplay coming. You have a bit of time to settle down after the ball change happens after the 34th over and, more often than not, if you are batting first. If you have an individual like Yuvraj who can capitalize on that it is of great help."
Dhoni stressed that Yuvraj's ability to bowl a few overs of spin also comes quite handy in ODIs.
"It is not only his batting, but his bowling too, because you get one more part-timer when he is bowling well. What happens is, because of injuries and few players out of the side, the luxury of few part-timers is not there any more. We rely on part-timers and we want to bowl well. When Yuvraj comes in we have not only three but four part-timers who can contribute so that if one of them has an off day we still have two individuals who can fill in the space," he said.
CONSISTENCY
Dhoni said the team is going through a transformation period where more youngsters are coming into the side and taking time to settle. He stressed that the team's recent performances maybe inconsistent, but gradually once the youngsters find their feet the team could start winning games on a consistent basis again.
"If you see this team is going through the changing period. We are missing quite a few individuals because of injuries and at the same time we have youngsters who are coming in and learning the art of batting and bowling in the one-day format; so we are going through the tough period. Of course, we have the bench strength but we want them to play more games so that they get the experience at the end of the day.
"We are definitely going through a tough period, where everybody is finding his step to perform, but when we are through this by the end of the year we will have individuals who have played maybe 25-30 one-day internationals. So then you can rely more on them. They would have faced ample games and would have learnt a lot."
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