New Delhi, Oct. 30: The cocky Australians had predicted a 7-0 sweep over India in the one-day series. All that in the past now as the men from Down Under are struggling to field a quality XI for the third one-dayer here at the Ferozeshah Kotla on Saturday.

While the Aussies dominated most of the first ODI at Baroda, India stamped their authority with a convincing 99-run win in the second ODI. Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni deserves credit for turning around the fortunes of the side albeit against depleted opposition.

Australia's worries were restricted to the bowling front with injuries to Brett Lee and all-rounder James Hopes but with wicketkeeper Tim Paine flying back home, their problems have been compounded. Paine had proved to be a more than adequate replacement for Brad Haddin both as opener and as a keeper.

However, his replacement - Graham Manou - is not as well equipped. The visitors will have to tinker with the opening combination by asking Shaun Marsh to open with all-rounder Shane Watson. Western Australia opener Marsh batted at No. 7 in Nagpur and scored a run-a-ball 21 in a losing cause. Hopes will sit out Saturday's tie as well. "Hopes' condition is slightly better.

"But there are still some concerns and we will give him a couple of days to be fully match fit. Hopefully he can turn out in Mohali," Ponting said.

India, on the other hand, are looking the stronger of the two sides now.

Virender Sehwag hasn't shown any tardiness after his return from shoulder injury and was brutal in his brief stay in Nagpur. Fellow opener Sachin Tendulkar has been off the boil so far but will be eager to complete another landmark (17,000 runs in ODIs) in front of the Kotla crowd.

Skipper Dhoni's fifth ODI century displayed that he still has the firepower and can explode when the requirement arises.

Gautam Gambhir has been scintillating in the series so far with back-to-back half centuries and will be crucial for the hosts' fortune. Gambhir knows the Kotla wicket better than anyone and the team will bank on his knowledge (along with that of Sehwag) of the relaid track, which has been very slow and low so far. The importance of hitting straight on this wicket - as shown by David Warner in Champions League T20 - will not be lost to any of the batsmen.

With powerful straight hitters like Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina in the ranks, India will fancy their chances.

On the bowling front, Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar improved from their lacklustre display in the first ODI. Praveen, in particular, was extremely difficult to handle under light and might find the cooler conditions of Delhi to his liking.

Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, however, has been disappointing so far but the Kotla track might provide him with a bit more assistance.

The toss will be crucial for both sides as curator Vijay Bahadur Mishra made it clear that life would get really tough for the team batting second with the pitch getting slower as the match progresses.

The dew will make it tough for any team bowling second and the captains will be in a quandary to decide on a defendable total on this surface.

It all makes for a perfect recipe for a grand encounter to liven up Kotla's first day-night ODI.