Weary stars join preparations

Two days after the Chennai Super Kings' successful campaign in the Champions League, two of Australia's mainstays, Doug Bollinger and Mike Hussey, arrived in the city to join the team's preparations for the first Test, which starts here on October 1.

Two days after the Chennai Super Kings' successful campaign in the Champions League, two of Australia's mainstays, Doug Bollinger and Mike Hussey, arrived in the city to join the team's preparations for the first Test, which starts here on October 1. On the home front, Rahul Dravid joined the team and had an extended net session. India await the arrival of skipper MS Dhoni, Murali Vijay and Suresh Raina.

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Both Bollinger and Hussey admitted to fatigue but said they could cope with it. "It's not ideal but it's the best we can do. We'll make sure we're really smart the next couple of days and get ourselves prepared as best we can," said Hussey.

Dhoni has his task cut out as he will not only keep wickets, he has the added responsibility of leading the squad against a perky Australia side.

How well the trio copes with the pressure and fatigue will be known when the match starts on Friday. India have a packed schedule as they take on Australia, New Zealand and South Africa before going into the World Cup. This will be followed by the IPL, which ends in May.