The mother of all battles is about to begin as India is all set to take on Australia in the four-match Test series. Last time when they met in Australia, it turned out to be a one-sided affair. Aussies dominated the series in every sphere as they simply ran through the Indian batting line-up and decimated the Indian bowling attack.

But this time it’s a different ball game because India will be playing in their backyard and they look well prepared to take revenge of that 0-4 white wash. Mahendra singh Dhoni has kept quite before this series and none of the Indian players have been looking to play the mind games.
Dhoni seems to have got the team combination right this time by keeping his options open in pace attack as well as in spin attack.

On the other hand Australia looks weak in spin department but they have very good pace bowlers which can destroy any batting line-up. This series is going to be action-packed and one thing is for sure, both the teams are going to find some new heroes rising in this series. Both the captains are looking to dominate by winning the first match of the series.
Here we bring to you the players who can a make a big difference in the crucial first match in Chennai.
 

INDIA

Mahendra Singh Dhoni: Indian captain has been in terrific form in the shorter version of the game and he is ready to roar against Australia. His last innings against England was a treat to watch where he saved the Test match for India by scoring 99 and unfortunately ran himself out. He has been chirping around the stumps and his body language is looking much more confident. His charismatic captaincy will be tested in this Test series.
 
Sachin Tendulkar: ‘God of cricket’ has been in good nick in the last few first class matches. His passion is something which never lets him settle down and his hunger of scoring big runs against better opposition makes him a much more special player. He has been working on his weakness of getting bowled off late. Sachin had a poor run in Test series against Australia in 2011-12 and he would be looking to settle the scores this time. Former cricketers like Matthew Hayden and Michael Kasprowicz has already said that Tendulkar is going to come hard in this series and getting him out will be a real challenge for the Aussie bowlers.
 
Ishant Sharma: He was looking bit off-color in the Test series against England but he came back well in the ODI series and bowled well as a first change throughout the series. He took five wickets in the second innings against Pakistan and his strength was his reverse swing on that day. If Ishant gets in to the rhythm then it’s going to be very tough for Aussie batsmen because he can be very productive against left-handed batsmen.

Chetashwar Pujara: Pujara had been in terrific form against England and was the highest run-getter for India in that series. He scored 438 runs with an impressive average of above 87. He has given solidity to Indian top order and had made sure that till the time he is around team won’t lose its balance.  His ability to galvanize his innings at his pace makes him a class player and icing on the cake comes when he starts playing those copy-book shots. He has been the savior for India against England and New-Zealand and if his purple patch continues, then Australian bowlers will have a tough time against his solid defence.
 
 
AUSTRALIA
 
Michael Clarke: Clarke has been in a terrific form this season and ended 2012 as a highest run-getter in Test cricket. His captaincy skills will surely be tested in the sub-continent conditions. He has been rated as one of the best player of spin bowling. His tactics against the Indian spin attack and his ability to manage his spinners will decide how Australia will perform in this tough series.
 
David Warner: Warner’s explosive batting was one of the reasons why India lost the Test series in Australia and if he comes out all guns blazing then Indian bowlers will be having one of the worst days of their careers. Warner has not played any of the practice games because of his thumb injury but he has been included in the playing eleven. If Warner stays on the crease for even a single session, the Aussies for sure would have a field day.
 
Shane Watson: Watson got good runs under his belt in the warm-up game against India-A. As always he looked in a destructive mode and tore apart the pace attack. If he continues in his form, Indian bowlers for sure are going to have a tough time. He is not new to sub-continent pitches and after playing in the IPL for some years, he knows the Indian pitches very well. He will give a lot of stability if he bats in middle order for the Aussies.
 
Peter Siddle: Siddle had been training very intensely for this series and has been looking in good rhythm in the practice matches. He would be relying on reverse swing. He can also purchase a lot from the pitch, especially in the first and last hour of the day’s play.
 
 
By Amit Chopra
Indian Sports News Network