NEWS
Follow UsIndia will lock horns against Australia in the final ODI on Wednesday, March 22, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai with a hope to clinch yet another bilateral series at home.
After a hard-fought win in the first game in Mumbai, the Men in Blue were bundled out for 117 runs as Mitchell Starc wreaked havoc with a five-wicket haul in Vizag.
Despite the batting collapse, Rahul Dravid backed the players to come good in the decider on a sluggish surface on offer in Chennai. In the pre-match press conference, he said, "We are clear about the team we want to play at the World Cup, and hopefully, we can give the guys we have zeroed in on as many opportunities as we can, at home and away."
“Some players are still recovering from injuries and will come back depending on the time frame of recovery. But within that pool, we want to have different combinations because the World Cup is a big tournament. We are in nine cities and nine different conditions during the league stage."
"So, whether we want our pacers or three spinners within the squad, we would like to look at different conditions and test different combinations so that we aren’t surprised by anything at the World Cup,” Dravid said.
Despite a collapse in the second ODI, Dravid backed the players to come good in this crucial clash and find a way to tackle the Strac-threat.
"I think the Mumbai pitch was challenging, but the last one wasn’t a 117 wicket. We’ve done well as a batting unit the last year or so, especially in white-ball cricket."
"We have put up some big scores in ODIs as well. Occasionally, collapses can happen. Mitchell Starc has bowled well, so credit to him. We need to find a way to get through that first spell of play and not lose too many wickets upfront," he said.
The former Indian skipper also backed Suryakumar Yadav after two golden ducks to come good in the final clash. "Obviously. it is unfortunate for Shreyas to get injured. He is probably one of those guys who would bat at No.4 and be given a lot of time in that position. If you notice we have stuck to the people in positions.
"For two years leading into this run, there is a lot of T20 cricket played, and we did not have a lot of one-day cricket, and if there are injuries and all that, we do have options. One of the things about Surya is that he is learning the 50-overs game. The T20 is slightly different as he has played 10 years of IPL."
"Surya has played a lot of T20 cricket. He has played a lot of high-pressure T20 games. Even though he has played a lot of T20 cricket I think he has not played a lot of one-day cricket. We need to give him some time and be patient with it. We certainly see the upside of him doing well," he concluded.
