"Haven't you got a mail to shave off the pitch?" - senior batsman Rahul Dravid asked the curator as the Indians assembled for their first practice session at the famed WACA ground ahead of the do-or-die third cricket Test against Australia starting on Friday.
WACA curator Cameron Sutherland has stated that the world's fastest pitch is likely to stay true to its nature and be a pacer's delight come on Friday.
"Haven't you got a mail to shave off the pitch?" said Dravid jocularly to Sutherland after having a look at the completely green turf which has been picked for the Test.
The reputation of the pitch has preceded the Test and the Indians, as a batting bunch, looked to have more than one worry to deal with as they put their first session together on Tuesday.
For a starter, new balls were used by both regular and net bowlers to the batsmen - possibly the first time it's been done so on the tour.
New ball has caused the maximum damage to batting units on this tour and the WACA pitch could provide more of the same given the pace and bounce everyone is promising on the turf.
The two openers, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, were filmed from close quarters as their technique was closely monitored.
Sehwag even let a few deliveries go outside the off-stump which is an indication how the swashbuckler wishes to avoid the trap laid for him outside the off-stump.
In the series so far, Sehwag has been caught cutting deliveries to the slip cordon and the temptation has proved too irresistible for him to let go the deliveries outside the off-stump.
Though he has hit a half century, and so has Gambhir, they have never really looked comfortable against Australian quicks in the first two Test matches.