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The jerseys might have changed, the format might have changed, the composition of the teams might have changed but India's misery down under showed no signs of abating as the touring party slumped to another shameful surrender which saw them lose the opening T20 in Sydney by 31 runs. The Indian limited overs side will have to hit its straps quickly to break the Aussie jinx and carry some vital momentum forward into the Commonwealth Bank Tri series that begins on February 5th. The Aussies, on a roll at the moment will go all out when they collide with the beleaguered Indians in the final T20 game at Melbourne on Friday to clinch the short series 2-0.

Australia:

The Australians thoroughly outplayed the Indians in all departments of the game to cruise to a comfortable win at the Olympic Park in Sydney. George Bailey, the first Australian to skipper the side on debut since the 1800s made the right moves and put all the doubts regarding his leadership skills to rest. The promotion of Matthew Wade to the top of the order proved to be a masterstroke where he slammed a 43 ball 72 to leave the Indian bowling in disarray. The Australian captain marshaled his resources expertly and outshone his counterpart, MS Dhoni, who failed to read the pitch and quite shockingly elected to field first after winning the toss.

David Warner and Matthew Wade got the hosts off to a flying start. Wade, picked at the expense of the experienced Brad Haddin, cashed in and carted the Indian bowlers all over the park en route to his enterprising 72. A telling cameo from David Hussey catapulted the Wizards of Oz to a formidable total of 171. The Aussie bowlers were spot on in their execution as the Indian batting faltered yet again. Brad Hogg back into the Australian set up after a long gap of 4 years, finished with impressive figures of 1-21. Infact, it was David Hussey's bowling as much as his batting that tilted the scales in Australia's favor. The trio of Brad Hogg, David Hussey and Xavier Doherty choked the Indian batsman and spun them into submission.

Brett Lee, the spearhead of the bowling unit will be lethal with the new ball. The heavy hitters, Dan Christian and Mitchell Marsh will be looking to take down the Indian bowlers in the 2nd and final T20 on Friday. The likes of Travis Birt and James Faulkner also ooze talent and confidence. The Australians in all likelihood will stick to their winning combination which means that the out-of-form Shaun Marsh and Aaron Finch will be relegated to the sidelines.

India:

MS Dhoni's better than a run-a-ball 48 was the lone bright spot in an otherwise awful outing for Team India. The arrival of fresh legs hardly made a difference as the young brigade just like the seniors proved to be pushovers. Rohit Sharma fell for a golden duck while the promising Suresh Raina also departed early to douse the possibility of an Indian fightback. India conceded too many runs, their batting was hopeless and their bowling was insipid. Only a miracle can help India square the series.

Recalling all-rounder, Iran Pathan into the Playing XI does not appear to be a bad option. Pathan has the uncanny knack of swinging the new cherry and is a useful batsman down the order. He offers the balance that Team India begs for. India's frontline tweakers - Ravichandran Ashwin and Rahul Sharma will be hoping for a better showing at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Much will depend upon how the two manipulate the middle overs. R.Ashwin as he has shown in the past is not afraid to open the bowling. The Tamil Nadu lad has the variations to stymie any opposition. Zaheer Khan could also get the green signal ahead of Praveen Kumar.

The form of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir has been India's biggest concern thus far. With former players calling for their heads, all eyes will be on the opening pair to lay a strong foundation for the middle order to control the game. Kohli, the leading run scorer in ODIs in 2011 will be India's main man. The under-pressure Dhoni must shed his defensive strategies and lead from the front to guide India to their first victory of the Australian odyssey.

Form Guide:

Australia: (W L W)
1st February 2012 - vs India - won by 31 runs
16th October 2011 - vs South Africa - lost by 3 wickets
13th October 2011 - vs South Africa - won by 3 wickets

India: (L L L)
1st February 2012 - vs Australia - lost by 31 runs
29th October 2011 - vs England - lost by 6 wickets
31st August 2011 - vs England - lost by 6 wickets

Likely Starting XIs:

Australia: D Warner, M Wade(keeper), T Birt, D Hussey, G Bailey(captain), M Marsh, D Christian, J Faulkner, B Hogg, B Lee, X Doherty.

India: V Sehwag, G Gambhir, V Kohli, S Raina, Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni(captain&keeper), R Jadeja, R Ashwin, Rahul Sharma/ I Pathan, P Kumar/ U Yadav, V Kumar/ Z Khan.

Key Players:

D Hussey: The fearless Melbourne Stars batsman adds impetus to the innings in the death overs. He had a productive Big Bash tournament and is likely to keep the Indian bowlers guessing. Hussey is also a handy bowler as he showed with his amazing figures of 2-0-4-2 in the last game.

V Kohli: The Delhi dasher is a calm, clever customer, who has all the shots in the book. Kohli will be looking to take the attack to the opposition with his gung-ho tactics and unbridled aggression. Add his electric fielding to the mix, the 23 year old is India's most precious asset.

Pitch and Conditions: The pitch at the MCG promises a high scoring fixture. Meanwhile, meteorologists have predicted partly cloudy weather conditions on Friday. Cricket Pundits reckon that winning the toss and setting a big target will be key towards unlocking the door of victory.

Prediction: Expect the 'Awesome Aussies' to continue their dominance over the Team India and seal the series 2-0.

File Photograph Copyright: ICC World T20