Australia look to defy odds again
Who told Australia they could compete once their players started going down one by one after the first ODI?
Match facts
Thursday, November 5Start time 1430 (0900GMT)
Big Picture
Australia have no business being 2-2 in this series. Seven first-choice men out, followed by two of their replacements (Moises Henriques being the latest). Foreign conditions. Back-to-back matches, spread across the length and breadth of India, suggesting more a sightseeing tour than one of the cricketing variety. Bowlers struggling at the death. Big hitters absent. Horror of horrors, Andrew Symonds is being discussed again by the fans. Conventional wisdom suggests that cannot be a good sign for the Australian team. Look at the scoreline, though - Two wins each. Who told Australia they could compete once their players started going down one by one after the first ODI?Form guide
(last five completed matches, most recent first)Australia - WLLWW
India - LWWLW
Watch out for...
Virender Sehwag: Two fours off first two balls in Vadodara, three in the first over in Nagpur, and a first-ball boundary in Mohali. Despite a sedate 11 off 25 in Delhi, Sehwag's strike-rate for the series is 109.3, but he has faced only 86 balls in four matches. He needs to face 86 balls in one innings - and preferably utilise the third Powerplay.Team news
Gambhir has been cleared to play and is likely to replace Virat Kohli, and it would be a surprise if India split Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar at the top.Pitch and conditions
Stats and trivia
- Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, a relatively new addition to Hyderabad, hasn't been kind to teams who call themselves hosts. Deccan Chargers have gone through a season each of IPL and Champions League without registering a win. India have lost both the ODIs they have played here: to South Africa in 2005-06 and to Australia in 2007-08. Hyderabad, who call this their home ground, have lost six out of seven List A games they have played here, and won three and lost four first-class games.
Quotes
"It's disappointing to see these guys go down, because you know how much they want to play and be a part of the series. So it's more disappointing for them more so than anything. I'm sure everyone who's returned back home would much rather be here with the series as it is at the moment, but we've got what we've got.''Ricky Ponting knows he can't do much about the fitness issues.
Sidharth Monga is a staff writer at Cricinfo