MELBOURNE: Former India opener Aakash Chopra says Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag will have to make it count whenever they are set as trying conditions Down Under would make it difficult for them to get too many good starts in the Test series against Australia starting on Monday.

Chopra couldn’t score a fifty and his average was only 23.25 during India’s eventful tour of Australia in 2003-04 but the then Australian captain Steve Waugh was moved enough to say after the final Test in Sydney that the Delhi-opener was the reason why India not only drew the series 1-1 but also at times dominated the home team.

The secret of Chopra’s success, not reflected in figures, was how he invariably blunted the new-ball attack.

“The kookaburra ball is all about negotiating the first 30 overs. If you come through the spell with minimal loss, the middle order would come on to their own,” reminiscences Chopra.

Blunting the new-ball was something that Chopra did with remarkable panache on that trip. In Brisbane, he batted for 40 balls for his four runs. In Adelaide, it was 67 balls for his 27 runs; at MCG, it was 48 runs from 135 balls and finally the score of 45 in Sydney came from 184 balls.

Sure enough Australians lost the plot and the Indian middle order flourished like never before. Tendulkar made 383 runs at 76.60; Laxman 494 runs at 82.33 and Dravid proved to be the deadliest of them all with 619 runs at 123.80.

“I knew most Indian openers had come and failed on those shores. Interestingly, I could hardly do much work-out before the series. I had injured my finger in the preceding series against New Zealand. But England’s Michael Vaughan was mighty successful in the season before. I asked ESPN to provide me his tapes. I also spoke to Geoffrey Boycott in Singapore on my way to Australia,” says Chopra.

Whatever Chopra prepared was nothing to what he faced on the Australian pitches.

“Brisbane was very quick; MCG was a bit damp. The conditions were difficult for it seamed and swung. There were 70,000 people shouting and screaming as the atmosphere was unnerving. As I took blows on the body, it did look like a boxing match on Boxing day.”

Chopra remembers the astonishingly quick Brett Lee and the mouthfuls which Australians gave to him.

“Matty Hayden was the worst. He chirped a lot. They were never short of a word. They were effective too. They all said how I was defensive. How I could never hit a shot. But I knew my instructions well.

“I had been asked to spend as much time on the wicket as possible. I was prepared to let go as many balls outside the off-stump as I could. I also curbed my square cuts which is my bread-and-butter shot.”

Indeed, Chopra’s leaves on the off-stump were breathtaking. At times the ball almost took the off-stump but if Chopra’ didn’t have to play those deliveries, he didn’t play them at all.

Chopra now offers the same advice to the present two openers with whom he has played a lot of his cricket for the native state, Delhi.

“Leaving as many deliveries as possible would be the key. They must know their off-stump and curb the urge to lash out at away deliveries. The good thing is they could trust the bounce of those pitches.

“Importantly, they must make it count. For they wouldn’t get many starts. There is no harm in accepting that a good ball is always around the corner. But if they are set, they must ensure it’s a substantial knock.”

Chopra suspects the MCG pitch would be damp. Batting first on that pitch would be a real ask.

“The wicket is difficult for the first few hours. Later it turns dry and deteriorates. I remember on that tour actually a piece of the square came off during the third day at MCG.”

Fortunately, Gambhir and Sehwag compliment each other well. While Sehwag is prone to lash out at bowlers, Gambhir is very good with rotating the strike. For the good of India, Chopra hopes the Australians are caught up in these diverse Indian tactics.

MELBOURNE: A Boxing Day Test match is always steeped in tradition, but convention was certainly not their stated position when the Australian selectors on Saturday opted for a tried and tested playing XI in the first Test against India beginning at the MCG on the day after Christmas.

Rather than gamble desperately with young and the untested in the year-ending Test match, they handed senior pros like Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey a chance to ring in the New Year on a cheerful note by making a strong statement with the bat.

By leaving out all-rounder Daniel Christian and young pacer Mitchell Starc from the previously announced 13-member squad, the Australian selectors have made one thing clear — that Ponting and Hussey, despite their woeful form with the bat, enjoy their vote of confidence for the opening skirmish against India, but unless the duo starts repaying this faith with runs, it could be a tearful New Year for the two stalwarts.

The Indian team management too is expected to follow on similar lines. Even though coach Duncan Fletcher and skipper MS Dhoni, who conducted full-fledged nets at the MCG complex on Saturday, and promised another session on Christmas Day, refused to even drop a hint about their possible combination, it could well be a fairly simple exercise, especially after Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma bowled longish spells in the nets on successive days. With both showing no apparent discomfort, nerves have settled somewhat in the Indian dressing room.

Plagued by injuries to key players in England, skipper Dhoni is loathe to making early announcements. “It is good to see them back in action. As of today, both Ishant and Zaheer are fit and are expected to play the first Test, but there are two days in-between, and ‘a lot can happen in this time’,” said Dhoni.

The others literally pick themselves. Virender Sehwag, who was dropped for the Boxing Day Test during India’s last visit here in 2007-08, on Saturday, responded with a typically aggressive batting display against net bowlers before turning his ire against the bowling machine at the indoor training facility.

Sehwag, who was dismissed cheaply in the two warm-up matches India played in Canberra, looked least perturbed by it all. Asked about Sehwag’s lack of timing in Australia, Dhoni made it clear that keeping the seasoned opener out of the mix was not on his mind.

“He is a key player for us. He looks to dominate the bowling by scoring quickly, and this puts the opposition under pressure,” said Dhoni in defence of the basher, who is set to resume his opening partnership with Gautam Gambhir here with Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman to follow. Dravid, who was the only Indian player to ‘opt’ for complete rest on Saturday, is expected to train with the squad on Sunday.

Virat Kohli is set to take the sixth batting spot ahead of Rohit Sharma, while the two remaining bowling slots are expected to be taken by Umesh Yadav and R Ashwin.

Like, India, Australia too will be relying on just four frontline bowlers – three pacers and one spinner – to do the job for them. Given the lack of depth in the bowling department of both teams, bowlers from either side will need plenty of help from the drop-in pitch at the MCG that promises both bounce and carry. With a thick cloud cover expected on Day 1, the swing bowlers should have a big say in the proceedings.

MELBOURNE: Indian captain, who had to field repeated questions on Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma’s fitness during Saturday’s interaction with the media ahead of the Boxing Day Test, declared that the duo was expected to be fit for the first Test.

“On our part, we gave them time off, put them through training and gym sessions to make sure that they don’t pull up short. We are hoping that they will be able to fire,” said Dhoni who said the team was not worried at all over fitness issues.

And while pundits may be upbeat about India’s chances of winning their maiden series in Australia, but skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni refuses to get carried away by the hype surrounding his team Down Under. Not the one to be impressed with tags, Dhoni neither acknowledged that his team would start as the favourites to win the four-Test series, nor was he willing to be dubbed as underdogs.

“Either way, it invites pressure. In any case, I am not a great admirer of tags. Frankly, speaking, I am not too bothered about pre-match predictions. All we can do is to give 100 per cent,” said Dhoni.

One way of reducing the pressure is to diffuse it. Admitting that his side is looking good and is primed for doing battle with Australia, Dhoni said, “Instead of worrying about where we will be at the end of Day 4 in the fourth Test, we will be better off focusing on each session and winning them. Test cricket has its own pressures and we don’t want to invite any additional pressure on us by setting unrealistic targets.”

Asked whether India would target Australia’s inexperienced top three – comprising David Warner, Ed Cowan and Shaun Marsh – Dhoni dodged the subject and instead took up the cudgels on behalf of youngsters in general. “Even McGrath and Warne were inexperienced when they had made their debut. They later went on to become legends of the game,” Dhoni reminded all, prompting someone to point out that Warne had conceded ‘nearly 300 runs for one wicket’ on his debut.

Dhoni pounced on this well-flighted delivery and sent it sailing over the boundary, saying, “I am sure if someone of Warne’s quality were to come along today and concedes 300-odd runs for one wicket, Australian cricket will still be happy to welcome him on board.”

Dhoni also expressed confidence in Ashwin’s ability to deliver the goods on Australian pitches. “He loves challenges. From what I have seen in the games he has played under my captaincy, he has excellent variations. If the wicket doesn’t offer much turn, he is quick to make the adjustments and prepared to be patient. I am sure he will do well here,” Dhoni said of the off-spinner, who tormented Australia’s rookie batsmen with turn and bounce during the warm-up games.

On his own batting form, Dhoni said: “I haven’t had a great year, but batting at No. 7, I have scored a few 70s and 80s. I won’t mind getting a few here.”

Admitting that fielding on big grounds could be an issue, especially those with weaker arms, Dhoni said: “The one major improvement I expect from my team is in the catching department. We can’t afford to drop catches.”

Asked whether his team had adjusted to the Australian conditions, Dhoni said: “If two weeks are not enough, even four will not do. The key to the series is to start well.”

MELBOURNE: In the strongest condemnation ever by a current Australian player of the ‘Monkeygate’ scandal of 2007-08 series, skipper Michael Clarke on Saturday said such incidents have no place in Indo-Australia series and warned that harsh penalties would be imposed on individuals if lines were crossed.

“The IPL has helped reduce tension between the two teams, and irrespective of what happened in the past, our relationship with Indian players is stronger than ever before. Both teams love to play tough cricket and we have had some wonderful matches over the years,” Clarke said.

“I am confident that lines won’t be crossed, but in case they do, players would have to reckon with harsh punishments, including those handed out by the ICC and Cricket Australia (CA).”

Indian skipper MS Dhoni also said that he expected his players to know the limits and avoid any acrimony.

Clarke maintained that the playing XI named by the team management was the “best 11 players” to figure in the Boxing Day Test match against India. “We have a good mix of youth and experience. Some of us have played Boxing Day Test, while others haven’t but it is no different, really, for you have to enjoy the outing,” said Clarke.

Clarke admitted that the Australians know very little about Ashwin and are trying to unravel the mystery by studying the video footages of his bowling action.

“A few of the guys have played him in the IPL, so we are watching a lot of his videos and trying figure out his doosra and the carrom-ball. Being tall, he will get good bounce on Australian pitches. So it should be a good contest.”

MELBOURNE: Former India coach Greg Chappell has declined to address the Australian cricket team ahead of the Test series against Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men despite being invited by current coach Mickey Arthur.

“I have not spoken to the Australian team. I will not speak to the Australian team,” Chappell said ahead of the opening Test in Melbourne.

Chappell seemed miffed with media reports that he had agreed to join the Australian camp, and also with former India captain Sourav Ganguly’s comments in which he had termed the Aussie as “mad” and his reported inclusion in the Australian camp as “good news for the Indian team”.

Arthur had asked Chappell, who worked with the Indians between 2005-2007, to share his knowledge with his wards.

The Australian media reported that Chappell had agreed to join the team during the batting camp in Melbourne on December 20-22.

Tongues started wagging when Mike Hussey, during a media interaction on Friday, commented that so far no interaction with Chappell had taken place.

The former Australian captain has now confirmed that he had never agreed to address the Australian team.

“I don’t know from where the news came,” Chappell said. Arthur wanted his struggling wards to benefit from Chappell’s wisdom, a move which was welcomed by Troy Cooley, head of Australia’s centre of excellence.

“Greg knows all about India’s weaknesses and would be helping Australia do everything they can to beat India this summer. He will be able to help out our bowlers. He knows what the strengths and weaknesses are of the Indian batsmen.

I am not sure if it’s only about revealing Sachin Tendulkar’s weaknesses, he must be aware of the rest of the pack too. After all, this is a very experienced Indian side with a lot of giants in it,” Cooley said.