Now the Indians hit by injuries

Australia arrived in Kochi in a depleted state, a handful of their players away for physical and personal reasons.

Australia arrived in Kochi in a depleted state, a handful of their players away for physical and personal reasons. They are gaining full strength now. Ponting, derailed by a hamstring injury, is expected to be back in the team soon. Left-arm seamer Nathan Bracken will arrive in India on Tuesday and is likely to play the third match in Hyderabad.

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The hamstring curse is now upon India. Sourav Ganguly pulled it in Bangalore and won't play here. Harbhajan Singh and Robin Uthappa are not at their fittest either. But both could be in the XI on Tuesday considering the poor performance of Ramesh Powar in the first match and Ganguly's unavailability. Rohit Sharma was to join the squad in Kochi. But he suffered an eye infection. There is uncertainty over when he will sign in. That the Kochi match is a day game could also influence the selection. Gilchrist left a clue about the line-ups when he said, "Spin could play a bigger role here compared to Bangalore."