The Final Audition: Fringe Benefits Key as India Begin ODIs vs Aus

Previewing India’s five-match ODI series against Australia – their final assignment ahead of the ICC World Cup 2019.

India’s five-match ODI series against Australia, starting on 2 March, is their final assignment ahead of the ICC World Cup 2019.

(Photo: AP)

• India’s five-match ODI series against Australia begins on Saturday, 2 March.
• Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium to host the series-opener.
• Australia won the preceding T20I series 2-0 to end India’s three-year unbeaten streak at home in the format.
• This is India’s final international assignment ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.

The countdown to the ICC Cricket World Cup is into its business end.

Less than three months remain until the start of cricket’s quadrennial showpiece event, and India begin their final international assignment ahead of their bid for a third title as a five-match ODI series against Australia kicks off in Hyderabad on Saturday, 2 March.

‘Experiments’ are expected to continue as the Men in Blue figure out the final pieces of the World Cup puzzle. The team is gearing into World Cup mode, and the 2-0 loss in the preceding T20I series will not make any change to the plans as far as skipper Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri are concerned.

“Every team will look to fine-tune whatever they need to before the World Cup, and we’ll keep doing that in the ODI series too, but we still want to win every match we play.”

Virat Kohli

Crunch Time for Rahul, Pant & Co.

For at least four players, this is the final audition for a spot in the 15-man squad for the World Cup, which is due to be announced by 23 April.

KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Vijay Shankar and Siddarth Kaul are fighting for select remaining berths on the flight to England, while a fifth, in Dinesh Karthik, will be keenly tacking the events from the sidelines.

Karthik was excluded from the squad for the ODIs against Australia – but is very much part of the team’s World Cup plans, with the selectors suggesting the decision was taken to ensure Pant can get adequate game time before a final call in taken.

For the quartet that is part of the squad, though, the upcoming five games – however many of them they get to play – will be the ultimate acid test.

Rahul enters the contest in a good head space after scores of 50 and 47 in the two T20Is, and is likely to get a more chances at the top of the order.

The 26-year-old is fighting for the reserve opener’s slot, but if Shikhar Dhawan’s indifferent run of form continues, he could stake a claim to be a permanent fixture in the unit.

KL Rahul showed signs of returning to his fluent best with two impressive knocks during the T20I series against Australia.(Photo: AP)

The eyes of the management, as well as fans, will also be locked upon Pant, whose consistency in the shorter formats doesn’t match the expectations set off by his match-winning abilities.

Vijay Shankar hasn’t been entrusted with enough faith as a bowler, but he did scalp two wickets in the final T20I against the Aussies at Bengaluru, and the 28-year-old can expect more chances in the absence of the injured Hardik Pandya.

Kaul is a rank outsider, and could be a blind side entry as the reserve pacer with Khaleel Ahmed’s trials not having yielded the desired results. The fast bowler’s confidence may not be very high after being taken to the cleaners by Glenn Maxwell in Bengaluru; he has a maximum of two chances left to prove his credentials, following which he will vacate his spot in the squad to the rested Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

India Closer to Full Strength

With the exception of Bhuvneshwar for the first two ODIs, and possibly Karthik if he eventually makes the cut, the Indian roster is seemingly close to the one that will eventually embark upon the World Cup challenge – which makes the ODI leg a far greater test for Australia, even with the momentum of the T20I series win behind them.

Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav and Mohammed Shami all return to the setup, while wrist-spin duo Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal will also resume their partnership after Yadav was rested for the T20Is.

Wrist-spinners Yuzvendra Chahal (left) and Kuldeep Yadav will renew their successful partnership in India’s five-match ODI series against Australia.(Photo: File)

Add Jadhav’s unconventional off-breaks to the mix, and the Aussie middle-order – in-form Maxwell included – may find the middle overs tricky to negotiate.

Australia Find Much-Needed Momentum

Not much has gone right for the Australian cricket team since the infamous Cape Town Test in March 2018, which is why their victory in the T20Is – their first series win over India in the format since 2008 – is a massive shot in the arm.

That isn’t to say the visitors weren’t without their issues; just that Maxwell’s marvels papered over any cracks.

Captain Aaron Finch has been out of runs across formats in recent months, but has received the full backing of coach Justin Langer. D’Arcy Short will hope for a look-in at the top of the order after decent returns in the T20Is to follow up on a second successive top-of-the-charts Big Bash League campaign.

Nathan Lyon and Adam Zampa are the two regular spinners in the squad, while Andrew Tye – a proven wicket-taker in the IPL – has been called up to replace the injured Kane Richardson.

Glenn Maxwell single-handedly decided the course of the T20I series against India, leading Australia to victory with starring hands in both the games.(Photo: AP)

Squads: India vs Australia ODI Series

India (first two ODIs only): Virat Kohli (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Ambati Rayudu, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Vijay Shankar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Rishabh Pant, Siddarth Kaul, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja.

Australia: Aaron Finch (captain), D'Arcy Short, Shaun Marsh, Marcus Stoinis, Usman Khawaja, Alex Carey, Peter Handscomb, Ashton Turner, Adam Zampa, Jason Behrendorff, Jhye Richardson, Pat Cummins, Andrew Tye, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Nathan Lyon.

(With inputs from PTI)