Admitting that the surface at the WACA would necessitate his batsmen to adapt mentally more than anything else, Anil Kumble pointed to the quality of India's batting line-up to buttress his belief that there was no reason why the visitors couldn't do well in the third Test.

"There might be extra bounce and pace here, but we have the quality and the experience to handle it," India's captain said on the eve of the Perth Test beginning on Wednesday. "It will take some time for the batsmen to get used to the conditions, and we need to make an adjustment more in the mind than with our skills. I am confident that that adjustment has already been made, and that we are prepared to handle that.

"It's about going out there and getting runs. It's important that we come back into the game," added Kumble, referring to the fact that India are 0-2 down in the four-Test series. "If we have to keep the series alive, it is important to make a good beginning, in the first innings of the Test. It is important to put runs on the board, and I am confident we will be able to do that."

Kumble revealed that Virender Sehwag would return to the Test squad, as an opener, and that Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman would take their customary number three and six positions respectively. "Sehwag will open the batting, and we have decided to stick to our regular batting order, with Rahul's quality at the number three position. That has been the order for a long time."

Matthew Hayden has been ruled out of the third Test with a hamstring injury.

Asked if that was a relief for the Indians, the skipper replied, "He has been in good form at the top of the order, so in that sense yes, you could say that. But we would always like to play against the best team. At the same time, we had a look at Chris Rogers in the last game, and he looks a good batsman."

The WACA will necessitate a lot of bowling into the wind. "Maybe I will have to do a lot of that," Kumble laughed.
"It's a bit unusual for us, we don't get a lot of this back home. But we have young bowlers who can lift themselves. I have also been told that the first couple of days will be quite hot, and there won't be much breeze."