Former Australian fast bowler Mervyn Hughes wants Brett Lee to bring the "fear factor" into play against the strong Indian batting lineup which he rates the best in the world.

"I would ask Lee to just run in and bowl as fast as he could, just for the fear factor," Hughes, who played for Australia between 1985 and 1994, said as the hosts prepared to go into the third Test of the four-match series.

"There would be extra bounce here, the ball is going to swing, and if he [Lee] could do it, with Andy Bichel and Brad Williams coming from behind, it would help."

Hughes, who terrorised batsmen with his mix of aggressive bowling and ample sledging, said the Australians chose the wrong decks to test out the Indians' technique in the first two Tests.

"I think maybe the Australian bowlers overdid the short stuff bit. They have got this philosophy that the Indian guys don't handle the short stuff well. But they don't handle it well when the wickets are bouncy.

"Not at Adelaide where it didn't bounce as much."

Hughes, who finished with 212 wickets from 53 Tests, said the pitch at the MCG should help the pacemen and there would be extra bounce even though it appears drier than usual. "Normally there is a tinge of green, but this looks fairly dry," he said. "Australian bowlers will have something extra for them and it's up to the Indians to cope with it."

Hughes, though, was extremely impressed with India's batting lineup and rated it the best in the world. "We haven't been able to get India out in the two Tests and that's been the problem. We seem to get some pretty good decisions till Dravid and Laxman get some runs.

"It's not enough to formulate a plan to dismiss [Rahul] Dravid and [V V S] Laxman. You got to keep plans for all six. If you keep it for Dravid and Laxman, Ganguly and Tendulkar will get going.

"From what I have seen, Dravid and Laxman play the short ball very well. You've got two openers who complement each other, one very patient and one who wants to get on with it.

"The Indian top six is probably the best top six in the world."

Hughes hoped coach John Buchanan would have formulated a steady plan against the top six in the 10 days between the second and the third Test.

"Everyone in Australia probably had the focus on Sachin Tendulkar," he said. "While they were talking about him, they didn't look at Dravid and Laxman, [Aakash] Chopra and [Virender] Sehwag. They all are playing very good cricket.

"The bowlers have to be switched on, be very positive, and just attack the batsmen. Buchanan must have done his homework and looked at where Australia went wrong in the first two Tests."

Hughes felt the leaks of Buchanan's letters were being stage-managed by the Australian coach himself. "It has happened five or six times during his tenure," Hughes noted. "It can't be accidental. Buchanan is too smart a man to let it happen again and again. I think he wanted to get his message across what he wanted from the boys."

Hughes admitted Australia are missing Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, but said it should not be forgotten that India also missed Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh, and Tendulkar did not contribute in the first two Tests. "We can't use it as an excuse," he said.

"Sachin Tendulkar hasn't contributed, but India still are 1-0 up in the series. It's no flash in the pan. Australia will have to play very, very good cricket to win the remaining two Tests.

"To bowl Australia out for 200 in a Test match is sensational. Agarkar is not rated highly around the world, but he took us by surprise."

Hughes said the Aussies must wake up to the fact that there are teams that play their own way, which could be different to Australia's methods and still successful. "The Indians' approach to the game is more relaxed and casual," he said. "A lot of Australians don't think that's the way to play, but the results show it has certainly worked for India.

"For example, the short-pitched tactics haven't worked in this series. I think the Indians have woken up to what they want to be. The way they played in the triangular back home, it appeared the story of the last tour would be repeated again. But [now] it looks as if it is not going to happen."