On to WACA then

By all accounts the Indian team has decided to drop Yuvraj and Harbhajan.

 

Curiously, no one seemed to have considered dropping Dhoni. Frankly he seems to have lost that edge and seems happy to coast along, whereas Karthick, despite his run of bad form hungers to perform.  On current form Karthick can easily replace Dhoni. However, as Vice Captain, Dhoni's inclusion is a given.

 

Another interesting aspect is the inclusion of Sehwag. Given the hellish nature of the pitch and the devilish attack, signs portend a failure and with it a batting collapse. How will the team management treat him? Will it be back to the dungeons? As usual, the Indian team management has chosen to go with the prevailing public sentiment.

 

Ganguly is down with fever or is it a cold. All depends on how he feels tomorrow. What if he is still unwell, will they fall back on Yuvraj?

 

Finally the WACA pitch grounds man claims it is fast and the Australians have confirmed it by going in with four pacers. Chris Rogers in an interview has said that pitch plays faster after the first day. If you are to believe the locals then who ever wins the toss should choose to bat first.

 

Given the brittle batting, the Indians may opt to bowl first. If they opt to bowl first from then on it would be an uphill task to win the Test.