Australia’s batting woes in this series have been the major highlight, as the defending World Champions have batted like a pack of club cricketers in the two games so far.
With the series on the line in Indore, the visitors cannot afford another slip-up and that too against a ruthless ODI outfit like India. A loss here could transcript into a full-blown disaster for the Australians.
An apparent reason behind Australia’s woes in the batting department has been the absence of their consistent opener Aaron Finch. Apart from being a match winner himself, Finch also lends a lot of support to David Warner at the top. Thus, in Finch’s absence, there is the added burden on Warner to provide a solid start.
Newcomer Hilton Cartwright got two opportunities to prove his calibre at the highest level, but on both occasions, his stay at the wicket resulted in an agonising sight. Ahead of the third ODI though, there was some good news for the Aussies, as Finch was seen hitting the nets, indicating his return.
“It’s good signs to see him back in the nets, and he’s doing everything possible to be fit for this game,” Finch’s opening partner David Warner said. “We know what he’s going to bring. He’s a very good batter, he’s played a lot of cricket over the past couple of years, he’s got a lot of experience, and for us at the top of the order, he brings a lot of aggression.”
Warner went on to add that Finch’s experience of playing in India would come in handy for the team, in this hour of emergency.
“What he brings to us is experience in his knowledge of the game. He’s a workaholic, he loves the game of cricket, he brings a good dynamic to our set-up, and we thoroughly love having him here.”