After Australian bowlers have shown much resilience in the hot and humid conditions in the first two matches of the five-match ODI series – the visitors’ batsmen have equally gone through a reverse mode while facing a tough phase.
The batters were in all sorts of trouble against the wrist spinners, and the hard-working pace bowlers in the Men in Blue line-up except a couple of individual performances kept them going on momentarily.
Following the complete breakdown with the bat, Australia’s David Warner failed miserably alongside new-batting partner Hilton Cartwright in the first two fixtures. Now, the side under an interim-coach would be aiming high to keep the series alive in the competition by giving their best at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on September 24 (Sunday), as formidable India is already leading the Paytm series 2-0.
Precisely, talking about the second ODI to its length and breadth, Australia was bundled out on 202 in 43.1 overs, after eyeing to chase down the target of 252 at the iconic Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata.
So much so, the Kangaroos got outfoxed by the wrist-arm spinners owing to the pure aggression and wicket-taking ability right from the beginning, before running through the overs quickly. More sought of a stellar performance from the rookie Kuldeep Yadav, who went on to claim his maiden hat-trick and received praise from the quarters including his counterparts.
Nevertheless, Kuldeep has to prove his mettle again to leave a solid impact which isn’t that easy for a youngster on such a competitive level. In the second game, following the cautious start in the first 20 overs, Australia lost the plot when they lost the promising batsman Glenn Maxwell at the overall score of 106 in 22.5 overs.
The Scenario:
Relatively new to the international setup, Kane Richardson was the replacement of bowling all-rounder James Faulkner, as he bagged three crucial wickets to restrict India to 252. Richardson is likely to start off the proceedings with the new ball alongside Nathan Coulter-Nile, who has so far bagged six wickets in two matches.
The Possibility:
Under-performer Hilton Cartwright might be benched in the impending game for solid-looking Peter Handscomb, who has shown much responsibility particular in Test cricket, of late. Aaron Finch, who missed the first two games is also in contention for a comeback.
The Ability to Swing the Pendulum:
Technically sound Handscomb is seen as the bright prospect for the Australian team, and in the 50-over platform, he certainly would be waiting to leave his imprint, in a bid to cement his spot in the limited-over cricket. The side would be solely relying on its senior campaigners including skipper Steven Smith, who was promising with the bat until perishing on the short ball ploy of medium pacer Hardik Pandya.
The Expectations:
Australia would be expecting a decent start from the openers, as the middle-order is bound to play a crucial role. Travis Head and Glenn Maxwell need to step up and show some maturity to build the momentum in Australia’s favour while rotating the strike.
On the other side, all-rounder Marcus Stoinis, who has shown some responsibility with the bat and remained unbeaten in 50-run loss encounter would be eyeing to give his hundred percent to lift the spirit of the team which at the moment is going down the line.
We are also expecting leg-spinner Adam Zampa could be inducted into the Playing XI which would be indeed an ideal choice for the skipper, as the Indoor pitch curator revealed there is more of a possibility that the surface could assist the wrist spinners and Ashton Agar is already listed in the playing XI.
(Read Indore Pitch Report: Holkar Stadium’s Batting Surface to Offer Help to Wrist Spinners Reveals Pitch Curator)
The time will decide the result, but Australia is capable of bouncing back after a shaky start to the limited-overs, in the fourth quarter of 2017.
Here’s the Predicted XI list for Indore ODI of Australia: David Warner, Travis Head, Peter Handscomb, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Mathew Wade, Pat Cummins, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson.