Relaxed Brett Lee checks out India before one-day series

For someone who tries to knock the batsman's head off every time he runs in to bowl, Brett Lee has a remarkably warm smile. But his fair dinkum Aussie twang that automatically suffixes every sentence with "mate" hardly hides his burning ambition to bowl Australia to victories. Arriving at the Sahar International Airport, Mumbai, close to midnight on Sunday, Lee sent down some quick verbal deliveries.

"People say you can't bowl fast and straight. That is rubbish. I don't see why a fast bowler can't bowl fast and straight. Hopefully, I have proved that in the last 12 months," said Lee.

He has indeed. Small wonder, then, that Timex watches snapped him up as brand ambassador. In line with the modern player's preoccupation with keeping sponsors happy, Lee sported a bright orange T-shirt with "Timex" emblazoned across it. That hardly stopped him from talking about various matters cricketing.

"It's always hard to beat India," he said, when asked whether the Australians were apprehensive about India's forthcoming tour. "We have a good pace attack now. Andy Bichel has stepped up and he proved that in the World Cup. Jason (Gillespie) is bowling well. Hopefully, I will take a few wickets. Glenn's (McGrath) still the No. 1 fast bowler in the world."

Before India head Down Under for what is widely predicted to be a routine hammering, Australia come to India in October to play a one-day tri-series. Lee knows that he'll be made to sweat a bit, but is eager nonetheless. "My fourth time in India is going to be a dream come true, because I have not played here with a proper Australian team. I only played here with the junior team and there was a huge buzz around the grounds then. I can imagine what it would be like with the national team." He first came to India in 1994 with the under-19 team and followed that up with a visit to the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai in 1997.

While some of his teammates may be earning the unwanted sobriquet of "ugly Aussie", Lee sings a different tune. "I get along very well with the Indian players and it's going to be a great thrill playing against Sachin Tendulkar, (Rahul) Dravid and (Sourav) Ganguly; they are world-class players, so I am really looking forward to that," he said. "The top six is pretty much world-class, so it's going to be a good challenge for us."

Looking at Lee sprinting in, leaping high and doing his thing, it's difficult not to appreciate the beauty and dynamism of the art of fast bowling. Ricky Ponting used Lee to pin the Indians down with sheer pace, and that memory of the World Cup will not fade easily in Indian minds. "The final was a dream come true for me personally. I think what really cost India was that first wicket of Tendulkar. Once we got him on the back shoe it set the game up for us. I think 350 on the board is pretty hard to chase in a World Cup final."

But was he specifically asked to take the new ball and frighten the Indians with raw pace? "I enjoy bowling with a brand new white ball," he says, laughing out loud. "I'd prefer to bowl with the brand new ball for Australia. I tend to swing it a bit more. I really enjoy myself then. Over the last 12-18 months I have changed my bowling style, especially in one-dayers. I have become a lot more consistent bowling fast."

The Australians have a knack of preparing well in advance for tours, but Lee surprised everyone when he said, "Yes I have heard of Munaf Patel. Obviously I haven't seen him play, but I've read about him in the papers on the way here and he seems to be a good prospect for India. The most important thing is, India keep bringing the kids through. I am sure they have great grassroots here."

Tall, but not overly so, muscular, yet not intimidating, Lee was refreshingly accessible even after a long flight from Sydney via Singapore. The Indian batsmen will be happy if he's one-tenth as friendly when he goes back to his mark to send down his trademark bouncers.