Depth in bench strength gives India the advantage
Something about the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai brings out the best in India and Australia: The tied Test in 1986, Sachin Tendulkar’s masterclass in 1998, the epic 2001 series finale, the Mahendra Singh Dhoni double-ton in 2013. The 2004 clash too could have ended as one for the ages had rain not played spoilsport.
The only One-Day International these two sides have played in Chepauk was a thriller as well, Australia edging India by just one run in the 1987 World Cup. Come Sunday (September 17), the Chepauk love story will resume when the two teams meet for the first of five ODIs.
As is always the case with an India v Australia game, there is a strong rivalry between the two the sides that makes for a good contest. Australia, though, will have to considerably lift itself after its recent poor run in the format.
Over the last 12 months, Australia has had several setbacks away from home in ODIs. It was swept 5-0 in South Africa, lost 0-2 in a three-match series in New Zealand and returned home from the ICC Champions Trophy without a single win. The India series gives it a chance to reverse the trend and get back on track to building a winning side ahead of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup.
First and foremost, Australia will need to sort out its batting order ahead of Sunday’s game. Apart from Steven Smith, David Warner, and Glenn Maxwell to an extent, there isn’t much experience in the batting group. It doesn’t help that Aaron Finch has been sidelined from the first few games with an injury either.
With Finch absent, there were murmurs that Australia could give Travis Head a go at the top of the order. Smith, however, debunked the theory on the eve of the game when he all but confirmed that Head would bat at No. 4.
It means Australia could open with Hilton Cartwright, who didn't succeed in the position against Indian Board President's XI earlier in the week when he was out for duck. The other option is to open with Peter Handscomb, who was flown in as cover for Finch.
Australia also has to decide between Marcus Stoinis and James Faulkner for the allrounder’s spot. Faulkner, who had a terrific one-day series in India in 2013, was recalled after missing the ICC Champions Trophy, but Stoinis made a strong case with an aggressive 76 in the tour game.
The other big question for Australia is the number of spinners they will go with. Adam Zampa is its first-choice, but Ashton Agar impressed with four wickets in the warm-up game. The pitch is dry and without any grass, which could force Australia to play both. With possibility of rain, Smith said Australia would take a call on its final combination only on the match day.
India too is building towards the ICC Cricket World Cup but seems to have much more clarity about its squad. The side is in the midst of a terrific run in ODI cricket too, having recently swept Sri Lanka apart from victories in the Windies and a run to the final of the ICC Champions Trophy. It is now back home, where it last lost an ODI series in 2015 against South Africa.
Virat Kohli’s men are now a well-ironed unit with options for every position. The tremendous bench strength is why certain setbacks ahead of the series wouldn’t concern the side much. Shikhar Dhawan is away to tend to his ill wife, but India has an able replacement in Ajinkya Rahane, who has got the nod from his captain for the position ahead of KL Rahul. Whether Rahul now gets the nod in the middle order ahead of Kedar Jadhav or Manish Pandey remains to be seen.
The only other issue for India was Axar Patel spraining his left ankle while playing football during the team’s practice session on Friday. The left-arm spinner didn’t train with the team on the eve of the game and though he is being monitored, the selectors named Ravindra Jadeja as his replacement for the first three ODIs. Aside from Jadeja, India has a couple of exciting spin options in Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal.
The tougher call for India would be the pace combination. Jasprit Bumrah is a definite starter as is Hardik Pandya, but with only one more spot for a specialist pacer, Kohli & Co have to decide between Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav.
Whoever they choose, for the sake of cricket, it’s imperative the pace bowlers have a role to play unlike in the 2013 series that saw nine 300-plus and five 350-plus scores. Hopefully, Chennai, and the remaining venues, will see more of bat v ball than bat v bat.
Teams
India: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (capt), Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Kedar Jadhav, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Axar Patel, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami.
Australia: David Warner, Travis Head, Steven Smith (capt), Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Wade (wk), Peter Handscomb, James Faulkner, Marcus Stoinis, Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Adam Zampa, Hilton Cartwright, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Kane Richardson.
