Internet Desk: After thumping the Sri Lankans at their own backyard, Virat Kohli & Co. would be eyeing to continue their rampaging run against Australia when the two sides will face each other in the opening match of the five-match ODI series at Chennai on Sunday.
In the Indo-Australia clash every cricket fanatics always gets to see intense battle between both the sides. During the Test series which was played earlier this year between the two sides, the home team won 2-1.
If India manage to complete a whitewash by 5-0 they will climb to the top spot of the ICC World rankings while a 4-1 win for the visitors will help them to grab the pole position too.
For India, facing an Australian side without their top two pacers – Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood would certainly work to their advantage but at the same time, the likes of Steve Smith, David Warner and Glenn Maxwell are seasoned pros for whom India is like a “second home”.
The two teams trained ahead of the match with focus on fine-tuning things and probably to zero in on the playing XI.
Left-arm spinner Axar Patel suffered an injury scare, spraining his ankle while playing football and it has to be seen if he takes part in this afternoon’s practice session.
However, the Aussies are well aware of what threat wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal can pose for them.
Accordingly, they summoned mustery spinners KK Jiyas and local lad Murugan Ashwin to prepare for the match.
The two teams are playing an ODI here after a gap of three decades, having last met at the iconic stadium in the opening fixture of the Reliance World Cup, way back in 1987.
It was a thrilling encounter that Australia won by 1 run.
Steve Smith, who wasn’t part of that series is now the leader of the Aussies and would be expected to lead from the front in a tour that promises to be another run fest.
The Chepauk track is expected to be a batting paradise.
Rohit has been prolific against the Australians and posted his first double century in ODIs in the 2013 series and is coming off a strong performance in the recent limited-overs series in Sri Lanka.
Along with his captain (Kohli) he is part of a formidable batting unit that could take on any attack. Rohit also indicated that his Mumbai teammate Ajinkya Rahane may don the opener’s role in the absence of Shikhar Dhawan, who has been granted a break to attend to his ailing wife.
Despite the thrashing handed out to the Sri Lankans, the Indian think-tank would be worried about a middle-order that didn’t look too convincing.
KL Rahul’s struggles at the No.4 spot pose a few questions but the skipper and coach Ravi Shastri have hinted that the Karnataka batsman was being considered for the role given the fact that Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan are the established opening pair.
Kohli himself has been in wonderful form and carved out a couple of tons against Lanka while veteran M S Dhoni guided the team home in his own inimitable style in two matches.
The trio (Kohli, Rohit and Dhoni) will be expected to do the bulk of the run-scoring while the improving Hardik Pandya would be expected to provide the spark both with bat and ball.
Kedar Jadhav and Manish Pandey have put their hand up in the opportunities they have got and the lower-order too has contributed.
The bowling unit sees the return of Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav after missing out the ODIs in Lanka. The focus would be on the inexperienced spin attack in the absence of the leading duo of Ravichandran Ashwin, playing in the County circuit in England and the rested Ravindra Jadeja.
The tweakers – Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav did the job against the Lankans but the Aussies are a different proposition altogether. How they fare would have a bearing on the series with the batsmen expected to have the upperhand.
The absence of big-hitting opener Aaron Finch, at least for the first three games owing to a calf injury, may have upset the Aussies plans but they have others to step up.
Teams (from)
India: Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, M S Dhoni (WK), Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Yazuvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav.
Australia: Steve Smith (captain), David Warner, Hilton Cartwright, Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade (WK), James Faulkner, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Kane Richardson, Ashton Agar, Adam Zampa, Peter Handscomb, Aaron Finch.