Mohali, September 21: India’s three-match ODI series against Australia, beginning on Friday at PCA Stadium, acts as a balancing act for the two sides in crucial practise and strategy-tuning before the Men’s ODI World Cup, which will begin in the nation on October 5.
With the team’s four captains—Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Kuldeep Yadav, and Hardik Pandya—sitting out the first two games, the team’s think tank has an opportunity to examine the other players who are assured to start on the bench or, in some cases, are added at the last minute.
India enters the series having won the Asia Cup, a competition that provided them with many benefits in terms of the players’ performance and the team’s ability to work together well. However, there are several areas where they’ll be interested in how certain players do.
The focus of observers will be on who of the off-spin combo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Washington Sundar would be the better choice as a substitute if the left-arm spin all-rounder is unable to play in the major event due to a left quadriceps strain. Axar Patel is currently recuperating from this injury.
With regard to batting, the series against Australia presents a chance for Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav to spend some time in the middle and score significant runs. After the league stage of the Asia Cup, Iyer was unable to play due to back spasms.
Suryakumar, on the other hand, played only once in the tournament and scored 26 runs off of 34 balls as Bangladesh narrowly defeated India by six runs. In Rohit’s absence, Ishan Kishan will probably bat first alongside Shubman Gill; Mohammed Shami has a remote possibility to play if the team management decides to rest Mohammed Siraj.
On the other side, Australia entered the series after losing to South Africa 3-2. In addition to a rising injury list, the series setback highlighted a few other areas of worry for the dominant team.
The good news for them is that captain Pat Cummins and Steven Smith are well enough to play on Friday, but Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell will miss the first game. This presents an opportunity for Matt Short or Tanveer Sangha to enter the lineup.
Additionally, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Spencer Johnson, and Ashton Agar have aches and pains. Travis Head may not participate in the World Cup due to a broken left hand, allowing Tim David and Marnus Labuschagne additional opportunity to establish their 50-over credentials as backup players.
Australia, which sees this ODI series as the ideal way to get ready for the World Cup, when they will face India in their first match, is strengthened by the return of Cummins and Smith. After often getting taken for runs in South Africa, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa, and Marcus Stoinis will be looking to regain their best ODI form on a flat Mohali surface.
