IND v AUS 2020: India's ideal XI for the first ODI in Sydney
With the IPL in their rearview mirror, the Indian cricketers are now completely focused on all-format Australia tour that starts on Friday, 27th November. This will also be India's first international series after the pandemic-induced break. India's Australian sojourn will kick-start with a 3-match ODI series, followed by a 3-match T20I. The two-month-long tour will conclude with a 4-match Test series.
The schedule of the three-match ODI series is as follows:
1st ODI - November 27 (Friday) | Venue - Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney| Start time - 9:10 AM (IST)
2nd ODI - November 29 (Sunday) | Venue - Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney | Start time - 9:10 AM (IST)
3rd ODI - December 2 (Wednesday) | Venue - Manuka Oval, Canberra | Start time - 9:10 AM (IST)
In January this year, the Australian team visited India for a short 3-match ODI series, and India won the series 2-1. Indian cricket fans will be hoping for a similar series victory during the upcoming tour.
India has plenty of selection troubles as almost all the squad members are in good form. Opener Shikhar Dhawan is a certainty thanks to his scintillating form during the Dream 11 IPL 2020. His regular partner, Rohit Sharma, is unavailable for this series, so a vacant spot is up for grabs. Mayank Agarwal and Shubman Gill could fight it out for one unoccupied slot.
The team management might prefer to go with Test regular Mayank Agarwal. Mayank has been a consistent performer in Tests and List A cricket over the past few years. He also consistently played aggressive cricket in the IPL 2020 ( with a strike rate 156.45).
This trait might force the management to give him a chance ahead of Shubaman Gill. Gill will, in all likelihood, serve as the reserve opener for the side in this tour. Meanwhile, Mayank will look to deliver consistent performances and strengthen his claims for a permanent spot in the ODI XI.
In the past few years, India's middle-order has looked fragile on many occasions. It was one of the primary reasons for the team's exit in the 2019 World Cup semi-final. India seemed to have found a solution to this during their previous ODI series earlier this year.
The management gave Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul a consistent run at numbers 4 and number 5 respectively during India's tour of New Zealand. The talented duo responded well and contributed match-winning knocks at those batting positions.
India should ideally stick with the same combination during the upcoming series. KL Rahul will also remain the team's primary wicket-keeping option with Sanju Samson as his back up.
The team management has to choose between Hardik Pandya and Manish Pandey for the role of the finisher. Hardik might edge out Manish due to his superior hitting skills.
There's still uncertainty over Hardik's bowling. This means Ravindra Jadeja could don the role of the teams' leading all-rounder.
On the fast bowling front, India will miss the services of ace swing bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar in this series. In his absence, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami will lead the Indian bowling attack. The experienced duo will share responsibilities with rookie pacer Navdeep Saini. If the management wants to strengthen the lower batting order, Shardul Thakur could get selected ahead of Saini. Thakur also had a decent season with the ball in this year's IPL.
In the spin department, Yuzvendra Chahal might get the nod ahead of Kuldeep Yadav as the Australian squad consists of more right-handed batsmen. Like Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, and Marcus Stoinis.
Our Ideal XI: Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli (c), Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Navdeep Saini, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal
What would your ideal starting XI be?