TACTICAL PREVIEW
Follow UsWe are in the final days of World Cup preparation for all teams. This phase generally includes a lot of chopping and changing, rest for senior players and plenty of fringe players in action. India and Australia have taken the same route over their last few matches. However, the second ODI in Indore will likely be the last case of the two teams testing their bench strength. The big guns, especially from India, are set for a return in the third ODI to get back in groove before the showpiece event.
Whether they return for a dead rubber or a series decider in Rajkot will be decided on Sunday (September 24).
Australia will start the game on four ODI defeats in a row. But that would be the last thing on their mind. The injury list in their squad would be the first. Mitchell Starc is still unavailable for the second ODI, as told by skipper Pat Cummins after the first ODI. Glenn Maxwell is also unlikely to take part in this fixture.
Ground Details
Indore’s Holkar stadium is a batting paradise due to its small size. The last three ODIs at this venue, dating back to 2015, have seen first innings scores of 247/9, 293/6 and 385/9. The team batting first has won twice.
It is a tough venue for spinners. They have bowled only 39% overs while going at an economy of 6.1. Off spinners have gone at an economy of 6.8, while leg spinners have only conceded runs at 5.2 runs per over in these three matches.
Things to watch out for
Pressure on Shreyas Iyer?
There was nothing pleasant about Shreyas Iyer’s return in Mohali. He dropped catches in the field, misfielded a few balls and looked jittery in his eight-minute stay in the crease before he ran himself out. Pushing a ball to cover, Iyer neither looked at the fielder nor his batting partner, Shubman Gill, but ran straight down the ground. Those were signs of nerves. It was a missed opportunity to showcase his form and fitness on a good batting surface.
With Surykumar Yadav ticking another box in the batting order, Iyer must hit the right notes in Indore to preserve his incumbent spot.
Bigger test for Ashwin
The smaller the venue, the bigger the test for finger spinners in ODI cricket nowadays. On a flatter pitch in Mohali, Ravichandran Ashwin, returning to white-ball cricket after 18 months, delivered figures of 1/47 in his ten overs. He was the most economical spinner of the day. Ashwin varied his pace and length to keep the batter guessing and was also helped by the large size of the PCA Stadium.
Indore’s Holkar Stadium, however, is one of the smaller venues in the country. It is batting-friendly, too, adding to the task of the bowlers. In a bid to press his claim for a late World Cup spot, Ashwin has the litmus test awaiting him.
Australia's underrated batting returns
Although they are missing many first-choice players, Australia would be keen to put up a good show with the bat. They have consistently fallen short of the par score. In Mohali, the consensus after their innings was that they were 30 runs short, which was a fair assessment towards the end. They were set to surpass 300 during the 94-run stand between David Warner and Steve Smith. Warner’s departure at 52 sucked the momentum out of Australia’s innings.
Against South Africa, they seemed to bat in the fifth gear throughout the innings, leading to its consequences: losses by 111 runs, 164 runs, and 122 runs.
Indore can offer perfect conditions to fix their batting fortunes.
Tactical Nous
> Ravindra Jadeja hasn’t had enough batting time in the middle. One of the unticked boxes of their ODI setup at the moment, India can promote him to number four or five to give him a longer run with the bat.
> Short balls at a high pace have always been potent against Iyer. Australia have used it fairly well to neutralize the right-hander. Iyer has been out thrice to Australian pacers and has fallen to the short-pitched deliveries twice.
Probable XIs
India
Mohammed Siraj can walk into the XI for this game to preserve Jasprit Bumrah from playing back-to-back games in a span of three days. Will India bring in Washington Sundar? If yes, then whom will he replace? Also, is there a chance for Tilak Varma since the big guns will be back for the final ODI? The left-handed batter can replace Ruturaj Gaikwad. In that scenario, Ishan Kishan might open to make way for Tilak in the middle order.
Ishan Kishan/Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (c/wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma/Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammad Shami
Australia
The ground dynamics call for Josh Hazlewood’s return to the XI at the expense of Matt Short. Alex Carey will also return with the gloveman duties. Aaron Hardie is also expected to replace Marcus Stoinis from the workload perspective.
David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Marcus Stoinis/Aaron Hardie, Sean Abbott, Pat Cummins ( c ), Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa
