Lee's absence gives India the edge

FE Team | Published: February 17, 2008 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

It remains to be seen if India can take advantage of Brett Lee's absence as they take on Australia for the third time in the league phase of the CB Series at the Adelaide Oval Sunday, according to website cricinfo.
Lee earns a well-deserved rest after working tirelessly to establish himself as the bowler of the season, taking 40 wickets in six Tests and eight in the triangular ODI tournament so far.
His absence could be a significant plus for an Indian team which has been pushed to second place after Australia's convincing win against Sri Lanka in Perth Friday.
Mitchell Johnson, who might get the new ball in Lee's absence, admits a mini break is a good move for him. "Brett's having a well-deserved rest. It's very important. I had a break during the Twenty20 game against India earlier in the month, and understand that rest periods are very good for the bowlers," Johnson said as Australia arrived in Adelaide after earning their second bonus point of the tournament.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the Indian captain, believes the Australian firepower doesn't diminish in Lee's absence.
It's difficult to ascertain which of the two teams have the momentum, but Dhoni based his confidence on the fast-improving performances of his young batsmen and bowlers.
The Australian batting, meanwhile, has been iffy as well, and Johnson agreed that the middle order had to lift their game. On Saturday Australia were eyeing at big total at 3 for 171 with 14 more overs to go, but eventually stuttered to 236. "We started off well yesterday but it's just that middle period where we need to kick to on and score a few more runs and keep wickets in hand."
Australia (likely): Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke/David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Andrew Symonds, James Hopes, Brad Hogg, Stuart Clark, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Bracken
India (likely): Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Robin Uthappa, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Sreesanth, Ishant Sharma