Battle of attrition

India captain Virat Kohli (R) shows his football skills during the team's training session at the Jharkhand State Cricket Association Stadium complex in Ranchi where they will take on Australia in the third Test starting today. PHOTO: AFP

The spotlight is firmly trained on the pitch as an ambitious India brace up for what is expected to be a high-voltage battle of attrition against Australia in the third Test starting here on Thursday.

Since the amicable end to the acrimonious DRS saga, the focus has shifted to the pitch at the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA), which is organising its first-ever Test.

The four-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy is locked at 1-1 and the game at former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's home town would be crucial to the outcome of the series.

Speaking to reporters on the eve of the match, India skipper Virat Kohli said his focus was now on the cricket but he refused to back down on his claims against Smith.

"I don't regret anything that I have said but at the same time it's very important not to be stupid and go on about the same thing on a daily basis," said Kohli.

"I think it was a mature decision on everyone's part to move on. We have seen instances in the past stretch on too long -- it just causes disharmony and there is no outcome to it.

"It's time we focus on the remainder of the series. There's a lot of cricket to be played and it should not happen in bad taste."

Australia skipper Steve Smith said the wicket at Ranchi looked dry from the outset.

"It was a little bit drier than it was yesterday. The groundsmen were pretty keen to get the covers back pretty quickly, so it doesn't see much sun," Smith told reporters on Wednesday.

"It will play reasonably well the first day. I don't think there will be a great deal of bounce. I think it will shoot quite low. Then from there it will break up as the game wears on.

"So 22 yards and both teams have to play on it. Hopefully we can just do a little bit better," Smith added.