Warne controversy dilutes marquee clash

A match that was billed as the clash of two returning legends has now been overshadowed by the words of another from across the seas. Sachin Tendulkar and Glenn McGrath are poised to renew acquaintance on Saturday afternoon, but the build-up to the match was dominated by Shane Warne's scathing comments on coach John Buchanan.

"I'm a big believer that the coach is something you travel in to get to and from the game!" Warne said, and catchy line though it was, neither Ricky Ponting, who addressed the media ahead of the India game, nor Buchanan was amused. You can depend on Warne to cause a stir though. No other cricketer on the planet would have managed to steal the limelight from Tendulkar, that too less than a day after a stirring unbeaten 141 on his return to the big time.

Both teams struggled in the face of stunning assaults from West Indies in the Powerplay overs, but Australia held on to prevail, while India were denied the chance of a comeback by rain. And given the fact that they already have points on the board, Ponting hinted that Australia would keep faith in the relatively inexperienced faces that triumphed over West Indies. One change could be at the top of the order, where Matthew Hayden - who averages a mighty 54.81 in 17 matches against India - should get the nod ahead of Simon Katich.

Though the redoubtable McGrath will ask stern questions of India's line-up, the likes of Nathan Bracken and Mitchell Johnson will be under immediate pressure against batsmen who certainly aren't shot-shy. Dan Cullen, the offspinner from whom so much is expected, will also relish the challenge of bowling to players who play spin perhaps better than anyone else.

India are also likely to make just one change, with Yuvraj Singh coming in for either Mohammad Kaif or Suresh Raina, who batted so well in the slog overs against West Indies. "He came through a training and net session very well yesterday, he had good practice," said Dravid, when asked about Yuvraj. "Today, he did all the physical drills, and he is fully fit. I think he should be there tomorrow."

Dravid also suggested that Virender Sehwag could continue in the middle order as India look to fine-tune their strategy ahead of the Champions Trophy. "It's all about how best to utilise the 50 overs," he said. "In the middle overs, we need players with power and creativity on slow tracks that we should find in India in the Champions Trophy and for the World Cup. It's an area that we have suffered in; lots of teams don't have players who can dominate the middle overs. We have Yuvraj and Dhoni, and if it works with Sehwag, it will be great for us. One-day cricket is all about flexibility and being able to adapt."

The five-man bowling attack is unlikely to be weakened given how easily West Indies took them apart. But with Sreesanth and Ramesh Powar waiting on the sidelines, Rudra Pratap Singh and Harbhajan Singh will need to show some improvement to keep their places in the XI for the remaining matches.

India will take heart from numbers that suggest they play better against Australia at neutral venues. Though the overall head-to-head record is overwhelmingly in Australia's favour - 49 wins to 27 from 80 games - it narrows down to 11 Aussie wins and 9 losses when the teams clash on foreign soil.

Come Saturday though, even the statistically minded will have eyes trained on the tussle between two of the game's ultimate warriors. Tendulkar averages an astonishing 49.02 in 44 matches against the world's best, further evidence, if any was needed, as to why he's light years ahead of anyone else as a one-day batsman. The fact that McGrath has just 32 wickets at 26.28 - his career average is 22.45 - in 22 games against India offers further proof of just how effective Tendulkar has been at taking on the shiny white ball. That said, McGrath won the contest that mattered, in the 2003 World Cup final, something that still rankles with Tendulkar. Expect some fireworks.

It will also be a big match for one man on the sidelines. Greg Chappell's place in Australian cricket's pantheon is beyond dispute, and this will be the first time that he leads his Indian wards in a contest against the team that has set the standards for nearly a decade. As Ponting said at his press conference, Chappell knows most of the Australian players as well as anyone, and any little chinks that he remembers will be of immense use to an Indian side that has to win to stay alive in the competition.

India (likely): 1 Sachin Tendulkar, 2 Rahul Dravid (capt), 3 Irfan Pathan, 4 Virender Sehwag, 5 Yuvraj Singh, 6 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), 7 Mohammad Kaif, 8 Ajit Agarkar, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Rudra Pratap Singh, 11 Munaf Patel.

Australia (likely): 1 Matthew Hayden, 2 Phil Jaques, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Clarke, 5 Mark Cosgrove, 6 Shane Watson, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Nathan Bracken, 10, Dan Cullen, 11 Glenn McGrath.