The day-time temperature in Hyderabad is around 32 degrees Celsius. It gets hotter inside a stadium filled with tens of thousands of noisy fans and when there's no love lost between the two teams, the contest could well and truly boil over. India and Australia play each other in the third of seven ODIs at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Friday, and if the walk matches the ample talk from both teams, it could be a bumpy but exhilarating ride.
Australia are likely to be strengthened by the return of their captain Ricky Ponting, who missed the first two games because of a hamstring strain he sustained during the ICC World Twenty20. Australia's one worry has been their tendency to lose quick wickets at the start - 18 for 2 at Bangalore and 8 for 2 at Kochi - and Ponting's inclusion, most likely at the expense of Brad Hodge, will allay fears of the middle order having to bail them out again. Ponting hasn't played an ODI since the World Cup final and even though he didn't contribute much in Australia's Twenty20 campaign, his captaincy and presence at No. 3 and will undoubtedly bolster his team.
Australia are likely to be strengthened by the return of their captain Ricky Ponting, who missed the first two games because of a hamstring strain he sustained during the ICC World Twenty20. Australia's one worry has been their tendency to lose quick wickets at the start - 18 for 2 at Bangalore and 8 for 2 at Kochi - and Ponting's inclusion, most likely at the expense of Brad Hodge, will allay fears of the middle order having to bail them out again. Ponting hasn't played an ODI since the World Cup final and even though he didn't contribute much in Australia's Twenty20 campaign, his captaincy and presence at No. 3 and will undoubtedly bolster his team.
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