We have nothing to lose today

Today's match is not only a quarterfinal it is possibly the biggest game of the tournament. We are approaching it just as we did our match against England we know it's a knockout situation, but we are playing with no real pressure, as though we have nothing to lose.

There has been a weeklong break since that match, and we have had ample time to evaluate our strategy and to think about how best to approach this match.

The break has been a bit of a blessing for us because it allowed some of our players, who were ill last week, enough time to recover.

Michael Hussey, Michael Clarke and Glenn McGrath were all ailing at some point last week, and Shane Watson had to be hospitalised for a day. Fortunately, they are all back training and are ready for selection.

Seeing the last couple of games in Mohali, there is no doubt that the wicket has a lot in it for the pace bowlers.

That said, I would not expect as much grass on the surface today, as there was yesterday, during the South Africa-Pakistan game. The Indian batsman have not looked as assured and confident as they normally do on home territory. Many of the normally consistent players are struggling and much of the pressure has fallen back on Sachin Tendulkar.

Plans laid out

We have studied the better Indian batsmen and worked out plans for them, now it's only a matter of execution.

Our bowling looked improved against England, and I am confident that the likes of Glenn McGrath will be even better.

There has been talk that he has not been his usual economical self. However, he gave just 36 runs in nine overs, figures you can't argue with.

The tournament has not really seen a superlative batting performance and all of us have had to work for our runs.

However, I have no complaints if the conditions stay the same through the course of the game. It really detracts from a game when the pitch assists the bowlers far more in one half of the match. This was what was happening in the first few matches of the tournament.

West Indies is the first side from our group to have reached the semifinals. They have struggled with their bowling in the past, but they now have a fine fast bowling prospect in Jeremy Taylor.

Their batting has always had the potential so it is just a question of their bowling improving. Even today, I think their bowling is the far weaker suit, and I would fancy our chances against those bowlers on a good batting wicket.

Coming back to today's game, it promises to be a really great contest.

As a team we generally play our best cricket in such circumstances, and hopefully, we will be able to maintain our reputation as a team that does well in big games.