Warne was mercilessly punished on the last tour to India in 1998 with Tendulkar in full cry as the Indians won the series 2-1. It's little wonder that Warne faces his moment of truth and no so long after surgery on a fractured finger which kept him out of the entire domestic series against the West Indies this summer. Warne goes into the gruelling India tour on the back of one-day appearances in the triangular tournament against West Indies and Zimbabwe. There are lingering doubts as to how much those injury setbacks have had on Warne. Indian batsmen are masters at playing spin on their flat grassless pitches and in Tendulkar have the world's premier batsman.
Warne is a key bowler in the Australian lineup.
Even though Steve Waugh is banking on using his fast bowling armoury of Glenn McGrath, Damien Fleming, Jason Gillespie and Michael Kasprowicz, it will be the experience of Warne that could prove crucial. But if he is taken apart again by Tendulkar, that may affect his confidence heading into the mid-year Ashes tour and boost that of England's batsmen.