At one of their happier hunting grounds on Australian soil, India must somehow summon huge reserves of mental strength and a positive outlook so conspicuous by its absence in last week's first Test, particularly with an injury cloud over pace ace Zaheer Khan.

Their diffidence with the bat punished by the unforgiving World champions, India will leave themselves with a mountain to climb if they slip to another defeat at the Sydney Cricket Ground in the second Test, beginning on Wednesday.

Far too docile and meek at the MCG, India allowed themselves to be shackled by the discipline and intelligence of Australia's three-pronged pace attack on a slowish surface. By slipping into a defensive quagmire, India let Australia sense weakness and apprehension, if not fear and dread. Ricky Ponting's men, now a win away from equalling their own mark of 16 consecutive Test victories, are past masters at feasting on openings, and they put on another exhibition of their commanding all-round skills in the Boxing Day Test.

Despite the extra day's rest courtesy the early MCG finish, there has been very little real time since. India chose not to brood over the loss, taking the last two days off and not returning to the ground until Tuesday afternoon for an extended training session at the SCG. India have the wherewithal to bounce back, but whether they can do so against Australia is debatable.

Skin rash for Sachin

Four years ago at this ground, Sachin Tendulkar shook off a poor run of scores with an unconquered 241. The little man was the only one missing outdoor practice -- a skin rash confined him to the indoor nets -- but he will have noticed, like the rest of the team, that this SCG surface is more suited to his, and India's, stroke-making ways than the one at the MCG, apart from having evolved as a more rounded pitch than the spin-friendly one of the past. India must swap the defensiveness of Melbourne for a more positive approach to prevent this series rapidly becoming a rout.

Even though he took no part in the warm-up and fielding drills, Tendulkar spent as much time at the indoor nets honing his batting as the rest of the team did outdoors. With former Indian paceman Subroto Banerjee -- who played alongside Tendulkar in the drawn SCG Test in 1992 when the little man made 148 -- for bowling company, the Mumbaikar worked specifically on the cut-drive that has been his undoing on numerous occasions of late.

Tendulkar appears to have emphatically rediscovered the domineering streak that characterised his batting for the first half of a career now into its 19th year. It's an example that must rub off on his team-mates, and quickly.

Setting the tempo

Almost always against Australia, it's the start of the innings that sets the tempo. It was the beginning -- though not only the beginning -- where India came a cropper at the MCG. Pitchforked into the opener's role to accommodate Yuvraj Singh, Rahul Dravid struggled to exorcise the demons in his mind; India can ill afford his prolonged run of poor scores, exacerbated by a dent in confidence.

Virender Sehwag, himself not in the best form and not having played a Test for 12 months now, would appear perfectly suited to provide the initial momentum and the impetus, provided he bats for any length of time. These are as close to desperate times -- never mind that only one Test has been lost -- as you can get; Sehwag's inclusion won't quite be a desperate measure, though that will have to be tempered against the fact that irrespective of how out of sorts he looked, Yuvraj wasn't the sole twin failure at the MCG.

Already battling the odds, India's cause wasn't helped by Zaheer pulling up short with a leg injury. A key component in the Indian bowling wheel, Zaheer had an MRI scan, and has to be a doubtful starter.

Australia have worn the cloak of invincibility with great felicity for so long now that to look for a way past their defences appears a forlorn task. Kumble will certainly have impressed on his team the pitfalls of such negative thinking. MCG, the Indians have been quick to pronounce, is history; this is a new dawn, a new year. Hopefully, at a ground where they made 700-plus in 2004, it will be a new result, too!