After conceding the seven-match series meekly, India will play for pride and a consolation victory when they take on Australia in the seventh and final one-dayer in Mumbai on Wednesday.
The series so far has been fought both on and off the playing arena and the formidable Australians, well known for their aggressive approach, are keen to maintain their stranglehold on the hosts in the last game, to be played under lights at the Wankhede stadium.
The visitors have already taken an invincible 4-1 lead and the home team can at best reduce the margin and gain some confidence ahead of the forthcoming series against archrivals Pakistan.
The Indians, who were accorded a tumultous welcome in this city three weeks ago on their return as Twenty20 World Champions, have to put in a far more inspired performance to stop the Aussies from increasing the victory margin.
The home team has to sort out quite a few chinks in their armoury as it has failed to click as a unit in all departments of the game.
"We have not performed well in all departments of the game at the same time except at Chandigarh where we did so and won," captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said.
He said the Indian bowling at the death and batting between the 20th and 40th overs needed improvement to counter the mighty Australians.
Fielding has also been a major let down for the home team, which grassed chances that proved costly in the last game.
The rampaging Australians will have nothing to lose in the final match as it will give them a chance to test their unused resources like pacemen Ben Hilfenhaus and Stuart Clark.
Matthew Hayden, who missed the Nagpur ODI due to hip injury, is again a doubtful starter for tomorrow's clash but that hardly threatens to affect the Australian combination.
The in-form Andrew Symonds, with his tail up amidst claims of racial abuse against him, is one of the prominent Australian batsmen who have clobbered the hosts' modest bowling attack and he will again try to punish the Indian bowlers.
With captain Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist and Michael Clarke in good touch, the visitors will only be etching to out-bat the Indians again.
Ponting is delighted with his team's performance and would like to see it happen again.
"All our bowlers and batsmen did a great job. In one-day cricket you need to have a number of guys contributing. That is what we did and had a very good series," he said.
According to the record books, India has suffered defeats on both occasions they played Australia at the Wankhede Stadium, where the ground has been renovated after it was spoilt due to crowd invasion during the felicitation of the T20 World Cup-winning Indian team on September 26.
However, the ground staff have not been able to repair the practice wickets on the East Stand, thereby forcing Australia to have their nets at the nearby Brabourne Stadium.
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