If India are in a precarious position, the reasons are not far to seek. The unexpected loss to Zimbabwe upset all calculations. But at least India have a positive net run rate (NRR) of +0.031. The Australians enter the Super Six with a negative NRR of -0.349.

India are toying with the idea of re-employing Sachin Tendulkar as an opener. Tendulkar was incredibly successful against the Aussies in India and at Sharjah and is himself very keen on having another early go at them.A lot will depend on the pitch, which is swathed in layers of covers following intermittent drizzle since Wednesday morning. There was a bit of grass, but the groundsman used the interval between the drizzles to pull back the covers and shave off as much of it as he could. Anothermowing is expected before the start of the match. The pitch, however, has a fair amount of bounce, according to locals who know the conditions.

If the Tendulkar-Saurav Ganguly opening partnership is restored, Sadagoppan Ramesh will be dropped. His place taken by all-rounder Robin Singh.The Australian batting has faltered in English conditions. The top order remains fragile after the continued failure of pinch-hitter Adam Gilchrist and Mark Waugh. Only Ricky Ponting and Michael Bevan have really looked in fine fettle though skipper Steve Waugh has chipped in usefully at times.It is the Australian bowling that has been a bigger disappointment. Barring Glenn McGrath, the others have struggled on pitches that do not afford them the sort of bounce they are accustomed back home. In short the Australian side looks a jaded, ageing outfit struggling with the effects of excessive cricket.

The Indian team hopes to squash Australia and keep them on zero points. In the battle for berths in the semi-finals, just twoteams have to be eliminated. India have identified Australia and New Zealand as the teams they must beat, with the tie against Pakistan being a real test of nerves.``We were written off prematurely,'' said Indian skipper Mohammed Azharuddin. ``We ave now won three successive matches and are on a roll. If we play our best we can beat anybody. In one-day cricket anything can happen on a given day. Australia is a strong side, but we are also playing well at the moment.''

Strategies have been worked out on the drawing board, the team just has to carry it out on the field of play on the morrow. One way or the other it will be sudden-death for one of the teams on Friday.

Rain factor: After encountering an unusually dry May, the Indian team may be confronted with rains. Thunder showers on Wednesday spilled over to Thursday, but this time petered out in an intermittent drizzle. Unlike Wednesday, when the nets were interrupted to the point that they had to be abandoned, the Indian team had a relativelytrouble-free session on Thursday morning in blustery conditions. The Aussies, who had scheduled their nets for the afternoon were not as lucky and their nets were constantly interrupted.

More rains are predicted for the morrow. But some play will certainly take place. The Oval has excellent covers and play can commence as soon as rains stop. The pitch also is relatively dry.

In the event of the match not being completed on the morrow, it will be continued the following day.