Patience will be the key if we need to do well

The warm-up games in Nagpur and Mumbai did not see the Australians perform at their best. While any visiting side likes to do well in their first few games, it is often not the case as new conditions take some getting used to. Basically, these matches are important for batsmen to spend time in the middle and for the bowlers to get some overs under their belt. Unfortunately, most of our batsmen did not perform too well, and as a result we did not fare too well in either of the games.

However, we would like to look at the positives that emerged from the matches. Steve Waugh and Justin Langer look in good touch with centuries at Mumbai and Nagpur, respectively. In the bowling department, Colin Miller and Shane Warne performed well and the pacemen also got a feel of the conditions here. The rest of the guys have had a look at the wickets, and will definitely perform a lot better when the bigger games come along.

The games were a good work-out for us because the opposition players performed well. A lot of promising young Indians were on show and it is difficult to pick up any one player. It was interesting to see the young opener for Mumbai, Vinayak Mane, who looked a lot like Sachin Tendulkar side-on.

The games gave us an indication of how different conditions here are when compared to back home. Patience will be the key if we need to do well, and we must hold on to every chance that comes our way. Damien Fleming was extremely unlucky in both games, as three catches were grassed in Mumbai and another one earlier in Nagpur. However, the good news for us is that he is swinging the ball and I'm sure his luck will change in the Tests.

The Australian team had its first meeting on Friday evening, where we discussed our gameplan for the tour. We will have another meeting on Monday, the eve of the match, followed by the team dinner. This is generally the practice on the eve of a Test. As far as practice goes, we had a rigorous session on Sunday, two days ahead of the match. We generally avoid exhausting routines on the day of before the Test and opt for light training instead. Everybody avoids major exertion with the guys just doing what he needs to.

I think the first day of any Test is extremely important -- more so when it is the first day of the first Test of a series. It sets the tone for the rest of the series. We believe that if we get on top of the opposition at the outset, it is very difficult for them to come back. We have been following this gameplan for the last couple of seasons and the results are there to see. Going all out to wrest the initiative on Day One will be our basic strategy on Tuesday.

As far as the pitch is concerned, I kind of had a peek at it this morning. It looks like a good wicket and I think the curator at Wankhede stadium has done a good job. The wicket looks like a good one to bat on, and at present it has a little bit of grass. It will be interesting to see whether they will keep it or cut it off before the match begins. If he does that the pitch will definitely assist spinners more. I'm sure the Indian captain will give his opinion, but ultimately it should be upto the curator to decide what kind of wicket should be prepared. We'll have to wait till Tuesday to see what he finally decides.

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