AHMEDABAD: Australia skipper Ricky Ponting reckons his batsmen know what to expect in Thursday's World Cup quarterfinal, just as their Indian counterparts know what awaits them. Ponting Wednesday made it amply clear that the four-time champion would employ its time-tested formula of unleashing raw pace against the Indian batsmen, most known for their perennial discomfort against short and rising deliveries. At the same time, Ponting expects India to play to its strength as well, pressing into service one spinner after another to torment the Australians. “No doubt we rely on our fast bowlers to take the wickets and India is probably the exact opposite of that,” Ponting told reporters after a gruelling practice session that left his face purple. “Looking at their last match, it was probably in the 26th-27th over before (pace bowler) Munaf Patel got to bowl. We have an idea of what to expect tomorrow. Probably they would open with Zaheer Khan and one of the spinners with the new ball and bring their spinners early on. “We could be facing 30 overs of spin bowling and they will probably... face 30 overs of fast bowling.” Ponting himself is trying to wriggle out of a prolonged bad patch – his highest score in the tournament being 36. “We have just learnt to keep our mouth closed a little bit more I guess. I hope our cricket does the talking for us tomorrow. Lot of that sort of chat has really not happened since (Glenn) McGrath and (Shane) Warne have been out of the team,” Ponting quipped. Thursday's match, in all likelihood, would be the last World Cup appearance of either Ponting or Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar, who occupy the top two positions in Test run tally. One of the major attractions of Thursday's contest would be whether Tendulkar can reach his 100th international century and Ponting promised to spoil the party. “It's an amazing record, a magnificent effort but I hope his 100 does not come tomorrow... We will make sure he's stuck.” India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni says his batsmen aren't worried about the prospect of facing Australia's much vaunted pace attack. Dhoni said that bowling short-pitched deliveries at Indian batsmen was “not a new strategy” and reminded everyone that the team “had won Test matches at Perth and Durban” in recent years. However, India faces a nervous wait to find out if opening batsman Virender Sehwag will be fit for tomorrow. Sehwag missed India's final group match after suffering an allergic reaction to a painkilling injection in his right knee. “We are taking a call on Viru in the evening or maybe tomorrow morning before the start of the game,” Dhoni said. “Apart from that, all the others are fit. “It's really good to have Sehwag opening the innings, because if the deliveries are short and to the body or somewhere else, he's the kind of batsman who can make the most of that kind of bowling,” Dhoni explained. However, Sehwag has never made an ODI hundred in 27 matches against Australia and he averages a modest 22.65 against the world champions. If Sehwag is ruled out, India are set to retain Suresh Raina, brought in against the West Indies, and keep Test opener Gautam Gambhir at the top of the order to partner Sachin Tendulkar.
