Australia coach Tim Nielsen has said that Australia will not hesitate to unleash four fast bowlers against India in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.
Australia would ideally like to field three quicks and a spinner, but that will have to be reviewed because of leg-spinner Stuart MacGill's injury and form woes and paceman Shaun Tait's sizzling effort against Queensland at the Gabba on Sunday.
South Australian Tait, who played the last of his two Tests on the 2005 Ashes tour, was magnificent in claiming match figures of 10-98 and has vaulted into Test calculations. Nielsen said Australia wanted to use its best attack regardless of its make-up.
"My gut feeling is that we have to pick our four best bowlers, it doesn't matter if they are spinners or quicks. Once you have got to that stage, you start to make a decision on what the best mix is," Nielsen was quoted as saying by the Herald Sun.
The four-pacer mix will include Brett Lee, Stuart Clark, Mitchell Johnson and perhaps a rejuvenated Tait. Tasmanian swing bowler Ben Hilfenhaus is also in calculations and could be used as a workhorse if needed.
The selectors are considering using four quicks as pace has always troubled India's batsmen, who are accustomed to low, flat decks at home.
The tourists will have little time to adjust as their warm-up clash against Victoria will be on a docile pitch at the Junction Oval.
"Coming to Australia on harder and faster wickets has brought a lot of countries down over time," Nielsen said.
"It's one of the benefits we have, just like we have struggled at times playing on the lower, slower wickets over there. It's definitely a benefit we play on those wickets so regularly and can adjust so quickly," he said.
Nielsen said Australia's plans would be dictated by the attack with which skipper Ricky Ponting had to work.
"We have played against Tendulkar a lot. It's probably not a lot different to all quality players. If you can get them early, it's great, if not look out," he said.
"We will have plans for him. But it's no point having a plan if it's great for Glenn McGrath, but we don't have a bowler that can do what Glenn did. We have to adapt our personnel to what we have in the team," he added.
