Tait's return gives Australia the edge

Competitions between India and Australia have, in the recent past, been compared to other legendary rivalries in cricket. Australia have just landed in India to defend the Border-Gavaskar Trophy but their A side, set to depart the country, also have much to play for. In the pre-series build-up to Australia's Test tour, it's only fitting that Australia A and India A find themselves in the final of the tri-series starting tomorrow and followers will expect nothing less than a cracking contest.

The first encounter, in Hyderabad, was forgettable for the hosts as they were vanquished by a superior all-round effort from the Australians. The second meeting, in Chennai on Wednesday, was reduced to a dead rubber but India bounced back to level the score despite suffering a few hiccups on the way.

The crucial difference between the two results was Shaun Tait. On a comeback trail after a self-imposed break from the game, Tait's swing and extra zip - his stock delivery - sparked India's top-order wobble and his 3 for 27 off nine overs dictated the result. India had to make amends for the defeat and they did so, taking advantage of his absence for the final game yesterday in chasing down 273. Though Mark Cameron kept the batsmen in check with his speed, his support seamers leaked more than six an over, thereby emphasising why Tait is so important to the equation. Whether or not India find an answer to Tait remains to be seen; he's all set to return after a rest, though it's uncertain who he will replace.

The 'Test' leg of the tour was initially meant as a selection trial for the Australian Test squad and while only a select few managed to make it, the rest have used this tri-series as a warm-up for the Sheffield Shield which starts in less than a month's time. Simon Helmot, the A team coach, said the players have had to battle some of the toughest conditions, taking the humidity into account.

"We're very pleased with the competition through this tour," Helmot said. "Both India and New Zealand have pushed us and the players are refreshed for the final."

Australia had experimented with the batting line-up on Wednesday, promoting Adam Voges and Marcus North to open, but Helmot said they would revert to their regular duo of Phillip Hughes and Luke Ronchi. Hughes, in fact, did well for himself at No. 7, scoring a brisk unbeaten 49 to lift Australia in the final overs.

India, on the other hand, are yet to solve their opening woes. Crucially, Robin Uthappa and Swapnil Asnodkar have yet to justify their selection. They have managed only 33 and 23 runs respectively but the one under immense pressure is undoubtedly Uthappa. He fell to a poor shot after a sound start against New Zealand last week and yesterday lost his off stump to Cameron after punishing the same bowler past mid-on for a sparkling boundary.

However, Dav Whatmore, the India A coach, threw his support behind Uthappa. "It is unfortunate that he hasn't had the best of moments in this series but he's experienced enough to work his way back into form quickly," he said. The Indians also experimented with their bench strength for the final league game but Whatmore was non-committal on the final line-up.

The unexpected postponement of the Champions Trophy left a huge gap in the international cricket calendar. Under normal circumstances, the final would have been overshadowed by the events in Pakistan but the bunch of hopefuls now find themselves thrust in the spotlight, thereby giving this series the higher profile it deserves.

India A (probable): 1 Jaydev Shah, 2 Robin Uthappa, 3 DB Ravi Teja, 4 Suresh Raina (capt), 5 Rohit Sharma, 6 Yusuf Patha, 7 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 8 Irfan Pathan, 9 Piyush Chawla, 10 Praveen Kumar, 11 Dhawal Kulkarni.

Australia A (probable) 1 Luke Ronchi (wk), 2 Phillip Hughes 3 David Hussey, Cameron White (capt), 5 George Bailey, 6 Marcus North, 7 Adam Voges, 8 Ashley Noffke, 9 Xavier Doherty, 10 Brett Geeves/Mark Cameron, 11 Shaun Tait.