Zimbabwe's captain, Stuart Carlisle, got his team strategy for the first Test just right when he said that the aim was to win the toss and pile up 450 runs in the first innings. Having got the planning spot-on, its execution will be under the microscope when the two teams take the field on Thursday. Zimbabwe have made all the right noises in their pre-match preparations, even stating that they had studied, and discovered chinks, in the batting armoury of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. "We know the Indian middle order is a bit suspect," said Carlisle. Just to refresh Carlisle's memory, the last time Zimbabwe toured India for a two-Test series, Tendulkar made 362 runs at an average of 181, and Dravid was even more imposing – 432 runs for just one dismissal. On the other hand, apart from Andy Flower, none of Zimbabwe's batsmen looked entirely comfortable.

None of this is to suggest that all India have to do to win is to turn up. Far from it. India's performances in the last year – after the miraculous series win against Australia – have been less than convincing. Sourav Ganguly just about managed to hang to the captaincy, but here he has a wonderful opportunity to strengthen his tenuous grip on it.

For that to happen though, India must shrug off their diffident and defensive approach. The first step in this direction would be to drop the seventh batsman and play five bowlers at Nagpur. Zimbabwe's toothless attack managed just three wickets in 97 overs against the Indian Board President's XI in the warm-up game, and it would reflect poorly on their confidence level if India picked seven batsmen to combat this attack.

It might be cruel on Virender Sehwag, who has barely put a foot wrong since his induction into international cricket, but it is undeniable that in home conditions, India need a fifth bowler far more than an extra batsman. Sarandeep Singh made an impressive debut at the same venue against the same opposition 15 months back, and picked up three wickets in the tour match too.

Five specialist bowlers would also allow Javagal Srinath and Zaheer Khan the luxury of bowling in short bursts. Srinath has looked a different bowler since having imbibed the virtues of pitching it up, while Zaheer's current form has been awesome – he picked 10 wickets in the Ranji Trophy semi-finals against Hyderabad to follow his ten-for in the quarter-finals, and bowled with considerable pace and fire.

Zimbabwe will, as always, look to Andy Flower to contribute heavily with the bat. He had a lean series in Sri Lanka – just 80 runs in six innings – but already served the Indians a warning, scoring 94 in the tour match. With the experienced Alistair Campbell back in the line-up and openers Trevor Gripper and Stuart Carlisle looking the part, Zimbabwe have a few batsmen who can frustrate the Indian bowlers. And with the pitch at the Vidarbha Cricket Association ground expected to be a shirtfront, taking 20 Zimbabwean wickets won't be easy.

Probable teams
India 1 Shiv Sunder Das, 2 Deep Dasgupta (wk), 3 VVS Laxman, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 Rahul Dravid, 6 Sourav Ganguly (capt), 7 Virender Sehwag, 8 Anil Kumble, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Javagal Srinath.

Zimbabwe 1 Stuart Carlisle (capt), 2 Trevor Gripper, 3 Gavin Rennie, 4 Alistair Campbell, 5 Andy Flower, 6 Grant Flower, 7 Tatenda Taibu (wk), 8 Heath Streak, 9 Travis Friend, 10 Raymond Price, 11 Pommie Mbangwa.

S Rajesh is sub editor of Wisden.com India.

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