Ace spinner Harbhajan Singh believes beating the mighty Australians in the forthcoming tri-series in Malaysia will give India the psychological advantage ahead of the Champions Trophy and World Cup.
Harbhajan said the Indian team will have a fair idea about the game plan and combination for next year's World Cup by the end of the year.
"It will be a tough series, as beating Australia is a Herculean task. And if we manage to win, it will definitely boost the team's morale for the coming World Cup," Harbhajan said in Jalandhar on Tuesday.
"The coming season will definitely set the tone for the World Cup, as by the end of the Champions Trophy and the tour of South Africa we will get a clear picture (of the team
combination and the game plan)."
India clash with Australia and the West Indies in a limited-overs series in Malaysia from September 12 to 24.
"If our team will be able to play up to its potential nothing can stop us," the Punjab off-spinner said.
"We will have to be very careful and not commit any mistakes, which is very difficult to overcome when you play against Australia."
Harbhajan said there would be no such thing as home advantage for India when they host the Champions Trophy in October-November.
"As far as the ODIs are concerned, it does not make much difference whether you play at home or away. As you can see, most of the times the scores are in excess of 250," Harbhajan said.
He rued the 'no-show' in Sri Lanka, where South Africa pulled out of a tri-series and later India's rescheduled series against the home team was washed out by rain.
"It was a sheer waste of time, we couldn't even do our practice," he said.
Harbhajan had a piece of advice for Pakistani captain Inzamam-ul Haq, who faces a ban of up to eight ODIs or four Tests following charges of ball tampering and bringing the game into disrepute after forfeiting the fourth Test against England last week.
The 26-year-old spinner, who also was in a similar situation when he had to endure a long wait for a decision on his bowling action last year, said Inzamam should focus on the game instead of worrying about the outcome of the hearing.
"At this particular time, the player should concentrate more on cricket than waiting for the decision by the ICC," he said.
He said the Oval Test controversy had undermined the image of the 'gentleman's game'.
"For cricket such controversies are always bad and undermine the image of the game in the world. It will be good for the game if the controversy is resolved at the earliest," he said.
Harbhajan rejected claims that such incidents emanated from a racist prejudice in the ICC against players from the subcontinent, and said such allegations are "vague".
"Such controversies should be handled by the respective cricket boards of the country, as it is like a parent to a player. The talks should be between the parents and the respective authorities, instead of a player's direct reaction to the controversy," the off-spinner said.
Referring to coach Greg Chappell's recent 'warning' that non-performing players could be kept out of the World Cup team, Harbhajan said, "Every player is always on notice as he knows that if he does not perform well, his chances of continuing in the team are bleak."
He described the shoulder injury to senior spin partner Anil Kumble during his county stint for Surrey as "unfortunate" and wished the Karnataka bowler an early recovery.
"This is the time when everyone should be wary of injury, due to which they can miss the flight for the World Cup. Even a minor injury takes four or six months to recover," he added.
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