Too tough to call

It's quite revealing that in the last few months there has been a constant reference to "the best team in the world" emanating from some of the Australian players and administrators.

Revealing because when Australia was head and shoulders above other teams and had a plethora of superstars, there was no such talk. They didn't need to make mention of their superiority then, as their consistently brilliant play was ample confirmation.

The constant references to superiority sound like some mantra that has been dreamed up by a PR or marketing man. It should have as much effect on the Indians as the sight of each Australian player wearing his baggy green cap on the first morning of play. Any cricketer who is intimidated by the glimpse of an opposition cap or the constant repeating of a slogan is playing in the wrong grade.

If the Indians want to focus on anything apart from their own game, it should be the fact that none of the Australian spinners has yet played a Test. Or that the slip cordon dropped a number of catches in the Caribbean, or the relative inexperience of the Australian side under Indian conditions. In other words, the fact that Australia is beatable.

With India's middle order now aging faster than a rock star, this may be the last chance they'll have to capitalise on a golden era of batting. If it's true that wisdom comes with age, the Indian batsmen should already have devised a plan to thwart Ricky Ponting's assertion that, like in 2004-05, Australia will rely heavily on pace bowling and conservative field placings to frustrate and beat India.

Ponting has talked about how strategically placing fieldsmen on the boundary quelled the Indians' penchant for hitting fours in the last series. This is another way of saying the Australians are prepared to concede easy runs. The Indian batsmen should gratefully accept the offer.

This is where Sachin Tendulkar's health is of vital importance to India's victory chances. Playing now in a more conservative mode, he'll take what Australia offers, and yet, with his skill, he'll still accumulate boundaries. This is the weakness in the Australian plan: the only way to contain the best batsmen is to dismiss them. Australia's plan to attack by defending will only work if the Indian batsmen foolishly co-operate.

The other player who is crucial to the result is India's captain Anil Kumble. If Kumble is the bowler of past prowess in India, then the home side will more than likely win. However, if he repeats his lacklustre form in the recent Sri Lankan series, Australia has a realistic chance of victory.

The big question mark surrounding Australia is their bowling and whether they have the firepower to dismiss India twice in a Test match for a reasonable score. The Australian assertion that they won with pace last time overlooks one important factor: Shane Warne took 14 wickets. Sure, Jason Gillespie and Glenn McGrath were successful and vital components in the win but with Warne bowling at one end, his partner's chance of taking a wicket was greatly improved. There's no spinner in the current Australian side with anything like Warne's daunting presence.

The Australian batting strength revolves around the intimidating pair of Matthew Hayden and Ponting. Both players like to assert their authority early in an innings; in two series it has worked brilliantly for Hayden, but for Ponting, on all four of his tours to India it has been an albatross around his neck. Also, both Hayden and Ponting are returning from quite serious injury lay-offs and they'll need to shed the rust quickly if Australia are to post competitive scores.

This is a really difficult series to predict because there are so many unknown factors - Tendulkar's health, Kumble's form, Australia's bowling capabilities, and the rustiness of Hayden and Ponting. That adds to the lustre, and when it's all over we may have yet another enthralling chapter added to this burgeoning rivalry.

In my time of watching, playing and commentating, I've only seen a couple of poor Australian sides and the 2008 version isn't one. However, since Australia defeated West Indies in 1995-96 to become unofficial world champions, they've never looked this vulnerable. That then poses the all-important question: "Is India strong enough to grab this glorious opportunity?"