VADODARA, October 10: Sachin Tendulkar didn't exactly have a sublime game in Chandigarh. Yet, a typically determined 79 helped India briefly halt the Australian juggernaut. As he enters the next match - his 400th - he would be aiming to do the same but with a little more style. He might be saying it is just another match, another number, but it isn't. It is a special one. Or at least his teammates would want it to be. A grand series-levelling victory would be the perfect gift to a player who has been on the field for 17 years and 297 days. He and opening partner - another one in the firing one - Sourav Ganguly have already silenced (at least for now) all those seeking their heads. Their 91-run stand against a hostile Brett Lee on a juicy track showed the value of experience and maturity in a team full of bravado and words. They will have to roar again to give the attacking batsmen to follow a perfect launching pad. Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni and Robin Uthappa like to free their arms but are often handicapped after early collapses. Luckily, Sachin's 400th is coming at one of his favourite venues. He has already scored three centuries on this small ground with a fast outfield. The team needs to aim for a 300-run total to defend against the marauding Aussies. The Indians are bowling well in parts but are struggling against the giants - Matthew Hayden at the start and Andrew Symonds at the end. They bowled well at the death and showed some grit and character too in the last game. They need to do the same, push the Aussies and see how they respond to it. Ricky Ponting's men have shown signs of vulnerability in tight situations, not just in the last game but also in the Twenty20 World Cup. Quite often the all-conquering aura around them slips and gives way for fallibility. India need to exploit that. A second consecutive victory will switch the momentum and put all the pressure on Australia. A couple of early wickets will leave Australia with too much ground to cover. Hayden, however, has been in devastating form and came pretty close to scoring his sixth ODI century at Chandigarh. Symonds has also accumulated 258 runs, with a strike rate of over 100 and both remain the danger men. Michael Clarke has been in touch too while Ponting and Gilchrist are still just revving up. India, meanwhile, will need to take a hard look at their bowling composition. But three left-arm seamers and a left-arm spinner might be a risky combination here. One will have to wait and see if India stick to the winning lineup or will make a bold change or two. Either ways, for once India will begin as slight favourites against Australia.
