Nagpur: The Final Frontier, as Steve Waugh once called it, was conquered by the Australians at this Vidarbha Cricket Association ground. That was almost three years ago when Ricky Ponting’s men left the Indians dazed inside four days on a green top.

More than the defeat, it was the wicket that had grabbed the headlines. Sourav Ganguly’s repeated pleas to trim the grass fell on deaf ears on the eve of the Test. He didn’t play the match because of an injury but drew much flak from all quarters.

Three years on, the visitors find themselves in a similar situation in a one-day series. With an unbeatable 3-1 lead in the Future Cup, they need just a win to claim it in style.

The Australians, though, are sure to feel the heat this time. The wicket is bone dry and designed to help the spinners from the outset. A heavy roller was also pressed into service after Team India’s net session.

If Shashank Manohar refused to keep the team’s interests in mind in 2004, the Board’s president-elect is not taking any chances now.

The Indians have promised to live up to expectations on Sunday. They are sparing no effort in their endeavour both on and off the field.

To lift the players’ spirits, Mahendra Singh Dhoni took almost the entire team out to watch the Akshay Kumar-starrer Bhool Bhulaiyaa on Friday evening.

Whether that has done enough for the team’s morale will be known in due course, but Ponting didn’t see much cause for encouragement. “If you are looking for some entertainment you can do it, but all depends on what position you are in this series. The Indians know their plan better…” he said.

The Indians had very little to show in the last one-dayer in Vadodara. They are planning a four-pronged strategy to stop the Aussies — batting first, a good opening partnership, early breakthroughs and a tidy spell in the middle overs from their spinners.

The Aussies have already been laid low in the lead-up to the match. The prolific Matthew Hayden is uncertain because of a hip injury. He suffered a strain in the last match and the visitors are unlikely to risk him.

“Losing a player like him who is in such prime form will be a big loss,” Ponting said. A decision on Hayden’s fitness will, however, be taken in the morning.

Brad Haddin, who has already scored 156 in two innings, will come in if Hayden fails the fitness test. This setback hasn’t dented the world champions’ confidence.

“We’re not taking this match lightly. We are treating it as a final and we want to win,” Ponting announced. “We’re aware the Indians are going to come hard at us. They have good players in their ranks. They will be aiming to keep the series alive.”

Zaheer Khan, who represented Team India at the media conference, dismissed the Vadodara loss as an “off day”.

“Every match is a new game… a new day. It’s important to stay positive and we are aiming to give a hundred per cent on the field,” said the pacer.

“We’ve got to put them under pressure. There’s no reason why we can’t do it. We just need to go there and perform. The first thing is to get an early breakthrough… The Aussies have excelled in the last two games because of consistent starts. The power play will also assume significance.”

Zaheer tried to defend the three-seamer strategy, saying, “we’ve different styles and there’s variation.” But it’s unlikely that the team management will stick to that formula on Sunday. Sreesanth will then replace Rudra Pratap Singh.

But India’s batting will hold the key. It was here that Sourav made his one-day comeback against the West Indies in January. If the spinners manage to exploit the conditions…

TEAMS

India (likely): Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Rahul Dravid, Robin Uthappa, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Murali Kartik, Zaheer Khan, Rudra Pratap Singh/Sreesanth.

Australia (likely): Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden/Brad Haddin, Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, Andrew Symonds, Brad Hodge, James Hopes, Brad Hogg, Brett Lee, Nathan Bracken, Mitchell Johnson.

Umpires: Aleem Dar, Amish Saheba; TV: Suresh Shastri.

Match Referee: Chris Broad.

Match starts: 9am.