Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly won the toss and elected to bat in the first of the best of three finals of the VB Series at the Melbourne Cricket Ground against Australia.

Leg-spinner Anil Kumble got the nod after he passed the fitness test this morning. A shoulder injury saw him miss a good part of the league games.

Hemang Badani replaced Rohan Gavaskar in the Indian eleven after Rohan complained of a niggling shoulder injury. Australia, boosted by their victory at Perth against India, opted for three quicks Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie and Brad Williams. Seamer Ian Harvey will be the fourth bowler. 

Australia also retained an out of form Damien Martyn and an injured Andrew Symonds in their playing eleven.

Teams:

India: Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Hemang Badani, Irfan Pathan, Anil Kumble, Ajit Agarkar, Laxmipathy Balaji

Australia: Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, Damien Martyn, Matthew Hayden, Michael Clarke, Ian Harvey, Brad Williams, Jason Gillespie, Brett Lee, Simon Katich, Andrew Symonds.