MOHALI: Ahead of the first Test between Indiaand Australia, the hosts are facing the disturbing prospect of losing their best spinner Harbhajan Singh to injury. And if that happens, India's bowling attack going into the match at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium will be undoubtedly weakened.
Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni wasn't ready to provide a definite answer on the spinner's availability. "We'll decide in the morning," was all he said, going on instead to explain why injuries happen and why they're part and parcel of the sport.
Harbhajan's impressive record of 79 wickets from 14 Tests against the Aussies, though, makes him India's best strike bowler and losing him will come as a big blow.
Harbhajan's fitness aside, India look all set to take on their famed rivals. This is also the first time Australia start behind India in the Test rankings ahead of an important series.
It was just recently that former captain Sourav Ganguly noted how if all is right with India's batting, retaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in this two-Test series shouldn't be a problem. The Indian batting lineup has worn a settled look for years, and Suresh Raina replacing Ganguly in this Test will be the only change from the team of 2008 that faced Australia at this very venue. That is, if Harbhajan is fit to play.
In case he fails to regain full fitness, the Indian spin attack will comprise of Pragyan Ojha and Amit Mishra because there's little chance that Dhoni will look to play three seamers.
"Harbhajan has been our main spinner since Anil Kumble and our attack revolves around him. So missing him will be a big blow. But you can't control injuries. We are hoping that he will be available for selection, but if he can't recover fully, we will have to make use of the available resources," Dhoni added.
Apart from Harbhajan, pacer Zaheer Khan is also coming back from an injury layoff and it will be interesting to see how he manages in a five-day game.
Australian skipper Ricky Ponting, who has a superb overall average of 54.66, will be eager to better his Test record in India, where he has scored only 438 runs in 12 Tests at an average of 20.85, with only one century.
"I've never mastered batting in Indian conditions and would like to improve my record here," Ponting said, adding, "But there were some positive signs during the 2008 tour, during which I scored my maiden century. Hopefully I will have a good series."
Australia have a relatively raw fast-bowling attack, with only Mitchell Johnson and Shane Watsonhaving had the experience of bowling in Test matches in India prior to this series.
Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni wasn't ready to provide a definite answer on the spinner's availability. "We'll decide in the morning," was all he said, going on instead to explain why injuries happen and why they're part and parcel of the sport.
Harbhajan's impressive record of 79 wickets from 14 Tests against the Aussies, though, makes him India's best strike bowler and losing him will come as a big blow.
Harbhajan's fitness aside, India look all set to take on their famed rivals. This is also the first time Australia start behind India in the Test rankings ahead of an important series.
It was just recently that former captain Sourav Ganguly noted how if all is right with India's batting, retaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in this two-Test series shouldn't be a problem. The Indian batting lineup has worn a settled look for years, and Suresh Raina replacing Ganguly in this Test will be the only change from the team of 2008 that faced Australia at this very venue. That is, if Harbhajan is fit to play.
In case he fails to regain full fitness, the Indian spin attack will comprise of Pragyan Ojha and Amit Mishra because there's little chance that Dhoni will look to play three seamers.
"Harbhajan has been our main spinner since Anil Kumble and our attack revolves around him. So missing him will be a big blow. But you can't control injuries. We are hoping that he will be available for selection, but if he can't recover fully, we will have to make use of the available resources," Dhoni added.
Apart from Harbhajan, pacer Zaheer Khan is also coming back from an injury layoff and it will be interesting to see how he manages in a five-day game.
Australian skipper Ricky Ponting, who has a superb overall average of 54.66, will be eager to better his Test record in India, where he has scored only 438 runs in 12 Tests at an average of 20.85, with only one century.
"I've never mastered batting in Indian conditions and would like to improve my record here," Ponting said, adding, "But there were some positive signs during the 2008 tour, during which I scored my maiden century. Hopefully I will have a good series."
Australia have a relatively raw fast-bowling attack, with only Mitchell Johnson and Shane Watsonhaving had the experience of bowling in Test matches in India prior to this series.
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