It’s not often that you get to win a series against Australia, so India would want to do everything possible to win today’s one day international at Indore’s Holkar Stadium. India’s bowling attack has been sensational so far in the series, and all five bowlers, including the all-rounder Hardik Pandya have looked very good indeed.
Australian batsmen have struggled against the young spin bowling duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. They have been so good that India haven’t missed their #1 and #2 spin bowlers, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja by any means. A win for India will push them closer to the #1 ranking on the ICC table for ODIs. Remember, India are already the world’s leading Test side.
“When you end up winning matches even after scoring 240-ish totals, you establish yourself as the No. 1 team,” senior player Ajinkya Rahane said about India’s bowling prowess.
[table id=33 responsive=”tablet” /]
Hardik Pandya is the man to watch out for in the Indian line-up. This guy has been the answer to every Indian cricket fan’s most fervent prayers. He bats like a superstar, bowls at 140 kmh and has a lethal bouncer that can trouble any batsman. He is also a man in form and is high on confidence. Hardik is already talked about as a match winner. Not in the same league as Virat Kohli as yet, but after Virat Kohli if there are one player that Indian fans are excited about, it’s Pandya.
Australia would expect more of a contribution from their leading batsmen Steve Smith and David Warner. They have both been relatively tepid in the two matches played so far. One expects Warner to give them a good start and for Smith to get a big score in at least a few matches in this series.
As Warner admitted, “It’s about that middle period, against the spinners, we have to look to rotate the strike, minimise damage and that’s what you try and do in any one-day format, doesn’t matter who is bowling.”
For this game, we expect KL Rahul to feature instead of the misfiring Manish Pandey.
The Teams
India: 1 Ajinkya Rahane, 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Manish Pandey/KL Rahul, 5 Kedar Jadhav, 6 MS Dhoni (wk), 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Jasprit Bumrah
Australia: 1 David Warner, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 Travis Head, 5 Peter Handscomb, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Marcus Stoinis, 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Nathan Coulter-Nile, 10 Kane Richardson, 11 Adam Zampa/ Ashton Agar
Match Conditions
Expect a flat batting track at the Holkar stadium in Indore. A 300-plus score for the side batting first is a must. No rain expected.
Watch India play Australia at 1:30 pm today on Star Sports!
[table id=16 responsive=”tablet” /]
