Due to the strict lockdown and precautionary measures in place in Australia, the Sydney cricket ground it’s set up to unleash all the jazz typically associated with an India versus Australia game. If the reports are to pass, the conditions present the kind of scenario necessary to set a potentially successful series on fire.
Another good news is the return of the spectators. The stadium will be half full and the available tickets have been sold. Health directives, in the wake of Covid, have been issued in abundance. At launch, a cricket stadium will finally hear the roar of a crowd after a good 10 months.
Except for the irreplaceable Rohit sharma, the absence of which remains the topic of conversation, almost all of the ingredients that make a crash as exciting as this are ready for the proverbial side dish. The last time India played a three-game one-day series in Australia, in January 2019, they won it 2-1. The cards, simply for this purpose, are shuffled in your favor.
In 2019, the One-dayers were played after the Test series was won, which meant less pressure. Sharma was present, which meant that the Indian batting order was stronger.
Australia did not have the services of Steve Smith Y David warner to lean on, and his presence this time is the biggest challenge for the India team.
These three factors are all that should matter virat Kohli and his team as they set the tone for long and fierce competition. As a former captain of Australia Michael clarke Said the other day, it is important for India to start with a win and maintain momentum if they want to avoid being “stoned at Tests 4-0”.
Clarke’s words aloud may border on the hype, but given the convolutions of a typical Australian tour, they’re not really out of place. Adding Smith and Warner’s return to the mix means the host’s muscles will start to flex a bit more.
The eleven that India and Australia played during the three-game one-day series in January this year are going to remain more or less the same.
Except for the replacement of Rohit and the option to play the in form Hardik pandya instead of Manish Pandey, India has little to play with. As for Australians, they will find reasons to get involved Marcus stoinis and despite poor form in IPL, Glenn Maxwell’s race in England this summer should be a good fit.
India has more than a decent bowling attack to get through any team. What’s crucial for Kohli and Co is making sure their hitting lights up the Australian sky. Herein lies the answer not just to the three One-dayers and the three T20s, but to the confidence that India needs when it comes time to switch to Test white.
India and Australia have played 51 One-dayers in Australia. Of these, Australia has 36 wins and India 13. But this is where it gets even more skewed: India has won just two ODIs in the SCG, one in 2008, when Sachin Tendulkar reached an undefeated one hundred and one in 2016, riding on a whirlwind MS Dhoni.
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