Centurion, Sept. 25: India open their 2009 Champions Trophy with attention focused more on sex than cricket, and Pakistan must be laughing up their sleeves at the distractions that rage around the Men in Blue ahead of their opening Group A game at the SuperSport Park here on Saturday.

Friday’s net session was preceded by skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s press conference. Yet, even before that took off, a grim-faced Gary Kirsten read out a prepared statement over the firestorm of allegations that he had encouraged his wards to indulge in sex to improve their cricketing performances.

It was all so symbolic of the media circus that dances around Team India making their every move, gesture and nuance a "hot" story.

Be that as it may, it will be back to cricket come Saturday and a chance to restore some sanity to the events around Team India here. And as if that was not enough, Yuvraj Singh’s broken finger had badly reduced Dhoni’s options and India’s hopes of a solid runs at this tournament where they were joint winners once back in 2002 with Sri Lanka.

With Virender Sehwag too missing, India’s batting firepower is thus severely depleted, as Dhoni accepted. "Our biggest headache will be in filling up the slots. Yuvi’s been such an asset, a key part of the team for the past few years — a pillar in the middle overs.

"Unfortunately injury is something we cannot do much about. In such a format you have to give your hundred per cent, even in the fielding you have to put in your fullest efforts.

"Now with both Viru and Yuvi gone and Rohit Sharma and Irfan not here, where we had five bowling options from the part-timers, we are now down to two. Hopefully someone will come along and say, ‘I’ll do it’."

For all their bouts of temperament, this Pakistan side look a well-rounded one. The return of an even half-fit Younis Khan brings a solidity to their batting — so sorely tested on a wicked Wanderers pitch by West Indian quick Gavin Tonge.

The track here, of course, is more like the ones both the Indians and Pakistanis are used to playing on — low and slow with a fair amount to turn available for those giving the ball a rip. Both sides will want a full complement of slow bowlers, Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi for Pakistan and Harbhajan Singh and the Yusuf Pathan/Suresh Raina combo for the Indians.

Younis Khan is quite aware of just how significant Yuvraj’s absence is. "We will miss him and Sehwag as they are fantastic players but that will also increase the pressure on Sachin Tendulkar," he said here on match eve.

India will therefore be under the hammer from the very outset. Gautam Gambhir has been out of action for some time and in Mohammad Aamer, Rana Naved and Umar Gul, have a potent attack. And even more than was expected, a huge load has now fallen on the shoulders of Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. Fortunately for Dhoni and India, both have looked in cracking form and it will be up to the juniors to bat around the two senior pros. Suresh Raina gets a golden opportunity to play longer innings than he has been contributing in the past — not to mention some accurate spells with the ball.

Basically, it will have to be a collective effort from start to finish, and fortunately in the last few years, India have found the men for the occasion as evident from their excellent recent track record.

And while Dhoni denied they looked at particular player, the Indians will surely be making plans for Pakistan’s two young guns in Umar Akmal and Aamer, one a thinking batsman and the other a tearaway left-arm quick.

Both impressed in the opener against the West Indies and are keen to stamp themselves on the game. After all, for new players on either side of the border, there is no bigger stage to announce their arrival than in an India-Pakistan game, wherever in the world it is being played.