After beating Australia in two match test series by 2-0, confidant India is ready to take on the Australians in the three match ODI series starting at Kochi. Both teams is missing some of their key players but between these two teams one can expect a high intensity games. India will be without the service of some of their star players like Sachin, Sehwag, Gambhir, Zaheer and Harbhajan Singh but they have enough to give the Australians think tank more than headache in the three match series. Australians on the other hand will be lead by M.Clarke and they will be eager to take revenge by winning the ODI series. Australia looks more settled and depth side on paper but India is also not far behind and with home crowd cheering team India it will be interesting battle between these two teams. Australians Captain Michael Clarke after accumulating just 35 runs in the recently concluded test series will be eager to score runs for his team and lead the side to win the series. This series will also be a great opportunity for the players like R.Ashwin, Ravinder Jadeja and Rohit Sharma to prove that they are capable enough to be included in the squad for next year world cup. R.Ashwin stable head, calm temperament and rapidly developing skill-set puts him right up there in the reckoning for a spot in the playing XI. While Ravinder Jadeja has wasted lots of opportunity so far and is yet to prove his capability with the bat. Rohit Sharma on the other hand, started his career on a brighter note but since last 6-8 months his performance with the bat is questionable. Australia have not lost a single ODI series since 1998 in India and M.S.Dhoni needs to put his thinking cap on for this short three match ODI series. All in all a interesting battle is on the card between two fighting teams. Likely Playing XI for both Teams (Match is Schedule to begin at 09:00 AM India Time) With regular openers missing from the squad it’s likely that M.Vijay will open the innings with the debutant Shikhar Dhawan. In middle order Rohit Sharma is likely to get a chance ahead of Virat Kohli. India Squad: M Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni (Captain and WK), Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Praveen Kumar, Ashish Nehra, Munaf Patel. Australia Squad: David Warner, Tim Paine (WK), Michael Clarke (Captain), Callum Ferguson, Michael Hussey, Cameron White, Steve Smith, James Hopes, Nathan Hauritz, Clint McKay, Mitchell Starc. |
