Mumbai: Mahendra Singh Dhoni was his jolly yet imperious self during the pre-match media confidence on Tuesday. He sat with eyes gleaning, flashing smile and oozing vigour.

He did not look like the captain who is playing catch-up in the series and never appeared like a captain who is facing an intense media scrutiny over his leadership.

He was confident, straightforward and unflappable. There were questions over his batting position -- should he not bat up the order?

The skipper both addressed and dismissed the query. "No," he said. "To bat every time at number three or four is difficult for me. It depends on the individuals."

Then he explained: "We have got Viru (Sehwag) and Sachin (Tendulkar) to open, Gautam (Gambhir) at 3, Yuvraj at No.4. The next slot vacant is No.5. Depending on the strength of the individuals, players who can have a bigger impact on the game accordingly we select individuals to bat at that particular slot." He was too eager to welcome his batting mainstay, who was badly missed in the first ODI. Yes, the eyes were gleaming.

The Indian skipper's hopes to square the series have got an unexpected boost. His opposition was in the doldrums. With three key players - James Hopes, Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson - injured, Australia are not the side that beat the home team in Baroda, where India failed at the final hurdle.

With a belter of a wicket on offer for the day-nighter, Dhoni also was aware that Yuvraj's return into the playing XI could not have been better-timed. Without Lee and Johnson, the Australians attack is dilapidated. India have the best chance to square the series. The left-hander, out of action since the Champions Trophy, also has a chance to make his return memorable.

The visitors admitted that the pressure is more on them than on the home side because of the injuries to Johnson and Lee, who are quite handy with the bat as well.

"The pressure on our batsmen is a bit more extreme, we need to ensure that our top seven do a majority of the work. Mitchell is important to our side, important for the balance in our side," Tim Nielsen said. Hoping against hope, the Australia coach said he was expecting Johnson to recover by the morrow.

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