After the losses in the one dayers, the Bangalore Test turned out to be yet another disappointment for the Indians. The batsmen, of whom so much better was expected in this Test match, could not live up to their standards and caved in meekly to the might of the Aussies. Except for Rahul Dravid and Irfan Pathan, none of the batsmen could score in excess of 50 runs. So much for the batting line up considered as the best and the most talented one in the cricketing circles (at least on paper). Things have reached a stage where the time has come to take some harsh decisions. Sehwag's form has been miserable for too long now and he hasn't helped himself by not learning from his mistakes. His uppish flick of the pads has got him in trouble time and again. But he still keeps repeating the stroke even when there is a fielder positioned exactly for that stroke. But the big problem for India is who to replace him with. Our bench strength is nowhere near as strong as the playing X1. Here's where Australia are far superior to other teams in the world. Though India has some of the most outstanding talent in world cricket representing the team, the back up players are nowhere near the standards of international cricket. The Aussies, on the other hand, have Michael Clarke as a replacement for the injured Ricky Ponting and the likes of Simon Katich filling in the boots of the retired players.

Yuvraj and Chopra are the other two in the firing line. As it is, Kaif deserved a Test spot in the team ahead of Yuvraj considering his good run of scores lately. So it should be no surprise if we see Kaif replacing his good friend Yuvraj at Chennai while Chopra may probably make way for some other opener around the country or one of the top order batsman pushed up to open the innings.

In the bowling department, Zaheer Khan bowled decently but never really troubled any of the Aussies. Though Agarkar's Test record isn't that encouraging, the Australians always seem to bring out the best in him. So it might not be a bad idea to try him out instead of the Baroda left-armer. The spinners did a great job for India. Harbhajan picked up 11 wickets while Kumble got his 400th victim on his home ground. But the latter looked a bit unpenetrative at times and will have to raise his game above the bar to give India a better chance of succeeding at Chennai.

Appointing Gavaskar as the 'Cricket Consultant' is an interesting move. There is certainly no better person than the 'Little Genius' to help the Indian batsmen sort out their deficiencies. But the results have to be seen pretty quickly otherwise the series will be all but gone for India.

There has been a lot of talk about Tendulkar and his tennis elbow. True, India needs him back in the squad at the earliest. But a one man show cannot guarantee victory for India. Also, it won't be easy for the 'Bombay Bomber' to hit peak form coming straight from such an uncanny injury. So too much pressure shouldn't be applied on the 'Little Master' to make himself available for selection. Sachin himself would be eager to join the team but unless he is fully fit, there is no sense in risking him.

The Indians stars also must not be too allergic to criticism, which they often have been in the past. After all, they are heaped with praises when they do exceptionally well. Take the instance of the last season when they battled hard against Australia to level the series 1-1 Down Under and tamed Pakistanis in their home conditions. So now when their performance has been well below par, even after the contract system has been put in place, they have to take things in the right spirit. In fact the backlash should only encourage them to prove the critics wrong and put up a better show in the future matches. To be fair to the press and the Indians fans, they were still backing 'Team India' despite their first few tournament losses early this season considering it a rusty phase the team will get over. But things have gone beyond that now and the frustrations of the fans are only increasing by the day.

Chennai had been a good hunting ground for India last time round. It was here that they sealed Australia's fate in the epic 2001 series. Another plus point for India is the heat factor. Australia will not find it easy to cope with the hot and humid temperature in Chennai even with their most innovative cooling methods. India; on the other hand, will be better equipped to face the situation having played in such conditions time and again. But this is only a minor advantage for the home team and at the end of the day; it is the contest between bat and ball that will decide the eventual winner.

It should not be difficult for India to realise where they went wrong in Bangalore. The top order has to score the bulk of the runs for India to put up a good total against the strong Aussie bowling line up. The likes of Sehwag and Laxman must take a clue from the way Pathan and Patel batted. Considering the lower half batted so solidly, a couple of big knocks at the top of the order will go a long way in helping India put up a good fight.

Running between the wickets is one area the batsmen have to work really hard on. Getting out to such a mode of dismissal in Test matches in unforgivable. Unfortunately, India is not blessed with greatest of runners in Dravid, Laxman and Ganguly. So they have to be careful not throw away wickets to silly run outs like they sacrificed Ganguly at Bangalore.

Once the batsmen put up a good score, the spinners can then attack the Australian batsmen with fielders round the bat and weave their magic on the dusty, turning tracks of Chennai. India have to stand up and get their act together for the 2nd Test. If they don't, it will be almost impossible for them to make a comeback from a 0-2 deficit in the four match series especially against a champion side like Australia.