World champion Australia will not take victory for granted when it clashes with India in a seven-match one-day series starting here Sunday. The series gives the home team an early chance to make amends after its first-round exit from the eight-nation Champions Trophy in South Africa earlier this month. India has since been boosted by the return of hard-hitting batsmen Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh, both of whom missed the action in South Africa owing to injuries. Australian captain Ricky Ponting, riding high after leading his side to a second Champions Trophy win besides a 6-1 thumping of England in September, conceded he expected the Indians to fight back. “We know that the Indian team will play well in their own conditions,” Ponting, 34, said ahead of the opening match at the Reliance stadium. “But I am confident about our group of players. We played well in England and the Champions Trophy. Hopefully, we can build on that. The series gives us a fresh set of challenges and we will identify the little things that we need to do to win the series.” The Australians won 4-2 the last time they played a one-day series in India in 2007 but three key players of that squad – Michael Clarke, Andrew Symonds and Adam Gilchrist – are missing this time. Injuries to first-choice wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, pacer Nathan Bracken and batsman Callum Ferguson have also muddled the lineup of the world's No 1 team. Ponting, however, made light of their absence. “It doesn't bother us,” he said. “We have played some good one-day cricket recently. As far as experience is concerned, we have got players who have some 20-30 games under their belt. “They are finding their feet in international cricket. In the last 12 one-day games, we have played some terrific cricket, both in the series against England and the Champions Trophy, and so we have the confidence going.” The series offers the young Australians in the squad exposure to Indian conditions ahead of the 2011 World Cup to be held in the subcontinent. The Indians, ranked second behind Australia, will be banking on Sehwag and Yuvraj for big scores but their bowling has been weakened by the prolonged absence of injured pace spearhead Zaheer Khan. The hosts included rookie seamer Sudeep Tyagi in the squad after impressive performances in domestic circuit but it remains to be seen if he is given a look-in early in the series. The hosts go into the series without bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad and fielding coach Robin Singh, who were sacked after the Champions Trophy debacle.The Indian board has yet to name their replacements, leaving head coach Gary Kirsten with additional responsibility. India's Brabourne gets Test 36 years on Test cricket will return to Mumbai's vintage Brabourne stadium for the first time since 1973 when Sri Lanka plays a match there in December. The ground, owned by the Cricket Club of India, was the regular Test venue in Mumbai from 1948 until matches were shifted to the nearby Wankhede stadium. The Brabourne, which hosted its last Test against England in February, 1973, was given the game against Sri Lanka because the Wankhede is being renovated for the 2011 World Cup. The Brabourne stadium was due to host a Test against England last year, but the match was shifted to Chennai following the Mumbai terror attacks in November which killed 166 people. Sri Lanka will play three Tests, two Twenty20 matches and five ODIs on the seven-week tour starting next month, the Indian cricket board said. The other two Tests will be held in Kanpur and Ahmedabad. Gibbs, Ntini left out Herschelle Gibbs and Makhaya Ntini have been left out of South Africa's squad for One-Day International matches against Zimbabwe and England. ODI Squad: Graeme Smith (captain), Hashim Amla, Johan Botha, Mark Boucher, A.B. de Villiers, J.P. Duminy, Jacques Kallis, Charl Langeveldt, Ryan McLaren, Albie Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Alviro Petersen, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Roelof van der Merwe. T20 squad: Graeme Smith (captain), Yusuf Abdulla, Loots Bosman, Johan Botha, Mark Boucher, A.B. de Villiers, J.P. Duminy, Jacques Kallis, Heino Kuhn, Charl Langeveldt, Ryan McLaren, Albie Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Dale Steyn, Roelof van der Merwe.
