Shane Warne in Mumbai on Sunday

Mumbai: Eyeing Australia?s upcoming Test series as the best opportunity ever to beat the Indians in India, leg spinner Shane Warne on Sunday said he has a few ?plans? up his sleeve to rattle the batsmen who have ?whacked? him in past.

Just seven short of equalling Muttiah Muralidharan?s record of 532 Test wickets, Warne has had limited success against India but appears determined to make amends on his third visit.

?I have been whacked around in the past by Indian batsmen who are the best players of spin. I have a few plans for them (in four-Test series) like mixing up my pace. Physically also this time I am injury free unlike in 1998 and 2001,? Warne said here on Sunday.

?In the 1998 series here I suffered a shoulder injury and in 2001 I was coming off a finger operation. But this time I am in better shape and injury free. I bowled well on the tour of Sri Lanka and the stint in English county has also helped me. I am looking forward to the series,? the Victorian said.

?I have tried bowling slower or a little bit quicker at times on the last two tours. In 1998 our quicks did not perform well and in 2001 we had a better quick attack and it was very close.

?V.V.S. Laxman came up with that fabulous innings of 281 and the way he batted not much could have been done,? Warne said.

Warne has taken only 29 wickets in 11 Tests against India out of his haul of 527.

The leg-spinner said the Australian team now was very well balanced, though the loss of captain Ricky Pointing through injury in the initial stages of the tour was a big blow.

?The absence of Ricky is a huge loss. He?s an excellent captain in the Mark Taylor mould. But the squad is very well balanced in pace and spin. There is also a good combination of right and left-handed batsmen and allrounders,? the Aussie stalwart said.

?This is probably my last tour to India. I am 35. We come every three or four years. I would be 39 when Australia come next and I may not be there. One thing I want to achieve is a series win in India. It?s more important than getting back my world Test bowling record,? he said.

Warne thinks Sachin Tendulkar will be there for the entire series despite his tennis elbow. ?I expect Sachin to play in all four Tests. He will be fine, I have no doubt about that.

?There?s the warm-up match here and ten days to go before the first Test (at Bangalore on October 6). I intend to bowl a lot at the nets, get used to the conditions as well as the SG ball which is different from the Kookaburras,? Warne said.

Hayden ploy

Meanwhile, as Warne plots Indian batsmen?s downfall, his teammate Matthew Hayden feels a simple ploy might unsettle the Indians.

Hayden feels Justin Langer and he would try to score as many runs as possible in a short time to put pressure on the hosts right from the start.

?Our (openers?) main task would be to give a solid start in a very short time and put pressure on the opposition from the word go,? Hayden said on Sunday. Hayden denied making the remark that Asian cricketers were selfish and said he was totally misquoted.

?I never made such a remark. All I said was that the approach to one-day cricket has changed. Initially, the Sri Lankans succeeded by scoring quickly in the first 15 overs. Then Dean Jones had his own innovative way of batting in one-dayers but now things have changed completely and there is no room for experimenting with individual ideas.?

Langer said it has been a bit of a coincidence that Hayden and he have become a successful opening pair. (PTI)