Australia vs India, 2018-19: Kohli's Blue Brigade gets ready to rise in ODIs
India finally won their first-ever Test series on Australian soil and will look to continue their fine form, heading into the ODI series as well. They won the Test series by 2-1 and outplayed the hosts in every department. The first ODI will be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground when the Kangaroos host Kohli’s army for the opening encounter.
The second and third ODI will be played at Melbourne and Adelaide on 15th and 18th January respectively.
Aaron Finch has announced his playing 11 for the upcoming match in Sydney. The Australian batting will rely heavily on their most senior campaigners Aaron Finch, Usman Khwaja and Shaun Marsh. Alex Carey and Peter Handscomb are relatively new to the international scene but are exciting new talents.
Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell have been added to the squad to balance the side with their all-round ability. Nathan Lyon has been picked ahead of the leggie, Adam Zampa. His guile and experience make him a crucial asset for the Aussies. Jhye Richardson and Jason Behrendorff will lead the pace attack, along with Peter Siddle who is making his ODI comeback after almost eight years.
Team India will be beaming with confidence after creating history in Sydney. Kohli & Co became the first Asian side to demolish the Kangaroos in their own den. After the T20 series ended in a frustrating fashion, Virat Kohli and his team couldn't afford to miss this golden opportunity.
India had a clear shot at winning their first Test series on Australian soil in 71 years. Finally, after waiting for nearly seven decades, Kohli and team achieved a feat which has never been done before by any Asian team. The Indian team toiled really hard for this victory and gifted Indian fans a memory to cherish for a lifetime.
Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu and MS Dhoni have joined the national team for the three ODIs. All of them were seen getting ready for the upcoming contest and sweating it out in the nets. Jasprit Bumrah has been rested for this series, and Mohammed Siraj will be seen taking his place.
India is likely to go with the combination of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed and Mohammed Shami in the opening game. The spin department will be lead by Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. Both of them will be pivotal to Team India's success as Australian batsmen don't have a good record against quality spin bowling.
Ravindra Jadeja will provide stability to the Indian side. The Men in Blue will try to dominate the home side in the early stages of the game, to put them under pressure from the word go.
Ground Report & Stats
The Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney assists the spinners and also a batting friendly wicket. This wicket has something that spinners can cherish and look forward to.
Total matches – 155
Matches won batting first – 86
Matches won bowling first – 62
Average 1st Inns scores – 221
Average 2nd Inns scores – 187
Highest total recorded – 408/5 (50 Ov) by RSA vs WI
Lowest total recorded – 63/10 (25.5 Ov) by IND vs AUS
Highest score chased – 334/8 (49.2 Ov) by AUS vs Eng
Lowest score defended – 101/9 (30 Ov) by AUS vs WI