It showed a whooping 40 degrees on the temperature scale when Team India arrived for its first practice session at the WACA. The sun beamed hard, the shades were out, and the ice box was put to optimum use to cool things down. Things might not necessarily be cool in the middle when two of the most competitive ODI sides lock horns in a few days time. In the past tempers have flared, glares have been exchanged and some pages of history are still fresh in the minds. India opener Rohit Sharma certainly remembered a few, and expected the series ahead to be no different from the previous ones when it came to playing with passion and aggression. “It will be a case of fighting fire with fire,” Rohit said. “Both teams have a history against each other and are highly charged up wanting to get results in their favour. “The last series that we played here (in 2014) was very closely contested. Although the result didn’t go our way, we fought right till the end. We played some good and positive cricket, which is exactly what we want to do this time as well,” Rohit said. It was way back in 2008 when a 21-year old Rohit Sharma was batting alongside Sachin Tendulkar in an all-important CB series final. That mature knock of 66 caught everyone’s attention, grasped MS Dhoni’s faith and gave a peek into young Rohit’s temperament. Since that tour, the opener has made a couple of more visits Down Under, the most recent being the 2015 World Cup. Rohit sure knows the grinds for being successful in Australia. “Having been here before, you do get to know what to expect from the opposition. Australia is an opposition who do not give anything away easily. As a side playing against them, you have to grind your way and test yourself in the middle. Nothing comes easy here; you have to earn every run. “As a cricketer it is very exciting to face and thrive on such challenges. What you do to conquer them and come out winning will be a real test of your character. People appreciate your performances here and putting up notable contributions will do a world of good,” Rohit said. With the Indian team having arrived well in advance for the first ODI, preparations are in full swing. “We have got close to a week’s time here before we play our first ODI. We do know what to expect from the conditions at Perth. I have played some cricket here in the past and my preparations will be according to that. I will be trying to get into the groove and would be looking to get my positions right. Also, getting my basics right will top my list. I will try to be a bit innovative and see what would work for me and what not. It is an exciting venue and you get a lot of value for your shots with a bit of bounce and carry off the pitch. I am looking forward to the first ODI.” India are coming off a home Test series victory against South Africa and have since managed to get a decent break ahead of a gruelling Australia tour. Rohit believed the transition from Test to ODIs wouldn’t be very difficult. “For me the transition between formats just goes with the flow. As professional cricketers we have been switching formats for a long time and we are used to it by now. It is just about staying in the right frame of mind. It is very important to understand what your strengths and weaknesses are and prepare accordingly. Preparations are key for any format. Knowing that there is going to be a lot of limited overs cricket coming up we will prepare accordingly. We hope to carry the winning momentum from last year. It is going to be really important for us to start the series well. It is just a matter of putting the right foot forward and accepting the challenge. Australia is going to be a tough team to beat, but we are up for it.”