New ball,old contest

Ashwin-Watson face off could prove game changer,like during the WC quarterfinal

Most teams have just played two matches each,and so the bowling and batting charts for the World T20 arent yet made up of efforts that can be called mind boggling. But there is a name that figures near the top of both the charts,underlying the kind of impact he can have.

Shane Watson has five scalps so far and if sometimes the format forces batsmen to throw caution and their wickets away,his figures with the bat are equally impressive. Watson has an average of 92 at a strike rate of 170,and given that as an opener he could potentially face a maximum of 20 overs,the match could well be beyond the opponents reach if the all-rounder gets going.

If this represents a problem that needs to be sorted out for Australias first opponent in the Super Eights,India,then MS Dhoni will know he has pulled it off before.

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In the 2011 World Cup,India and Australia had met in similar circumstances. While it was the quarterfinal of the World Cup,Fridays game,coming in a group that also features South Africa and Pakistan,could also be regarded vital.

During the game in Ahmedabad,Dhoni tossed the new ball to R Ashwin with Australia batting first. After conceding just one run off his first seven balls to Watson,Ashwin was slog swept to the boundary off his eighth.

Another set of dots was followed by another boundary in the next over. In his fourth over,the tenth of the innings,Ashwin sent down two more dots and off the the next ball,had Watson slog sweep yet again. But this time,the flighted ball disturbed the furniture. While the Motera did not offer much turn,the R Premadasa pitch will have been used earlier in the day,and the ball might grip.

Considering the impact Watson could have,and also how his early wicket could expose the untested Australian middle order,the Ashwin-Watson confrontation should quite possibly decide the fate of this game. This choice of opening the bowling with Ashwin,if Dhoni goes for the option,will also solve a few other issues for the Indian skipper

ZaK trouble

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Currently,Zaheer Khans place has come under a cloud,and despite Dhonis support of the bowler,the spearheads lack of form cannot be ignored.

If Ashwin shares the new ball with Irfan Pathan,Dhoni could go in for the additional spinner in Harbhajan Singh in place of Zaheer. Harbhajan made a case for himself with his man-of-the-match performance against England,and has also delivered more often than not against the Aussies.

The inconsequential England game made it easier on Dhoni to experiment. Fridays game is of far greater importance and Australia are not so easily run over by spin,and hence whether or not to go in with the extra spinner,or five bowlers,will not be so straight forward.

Though Sehwag attended Wednesdays practice,it is not clear if he has made a full return to fitness,and if he is unavailable,Dhoni might be forced into going for the extra bowler.

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If spin is Indias go-to option,with Pat Cummins,Mitchel Starc and Ben Hilfenhaus to choose from,it will be pace that last editions finalists will turn to.

There are other areas of disparity between the two sides too. Australias top order is settled and firing while India are still searching for options,though India holds all the aces in the middle order department. However,the Watson-Ashwin contest could make all that inconsequential.