The third ODI in Rajkot will include several important
senior players from Australia and India, thus Sunday’s game in Indore may be
the last opportunity for any periphery players to make an impact.
India’s situation is a little less complicated than
Australia’s. Despite the fact that Marnus Labuschagne appears to be the most
likely candidate to fill Travis Head’s void given his recent form, Australia
has other out-of-the-box choices. There are several ways Australia might line
up during the World Cup, depending on the circumstances and their opponents,
and Indore will be a part of that experimentation.
Their plan will also include improving their batting
performance. Only David Warner made it to fifty at Mohali, when six of their
top seven players attained at least 29. They would be aware that the wickets
came as a result of Mohammed Shami’s sharp quick bowling and a few lucky breaks
favouring India.
However, every great World Cup squad will have a Shami
similar, so a second straight jolt against India’s fast bowlers will be cause
for concern. Particularly as the opener, Mitchell Marsh would want to become
accustomed to the Indian environment. The potential return of Josh Hazlewood
will also improve their bowling.
India will get another chance to compare the
advantages of three frontline fast bowlers against the combination of two
quicks and one seamer. Shami’s five-for in Mohali was remarkable, but Shardul
Thakur failed to get a wicket for 78 runs. In the big picture, these are
fantastic problems to have, but the drawback of having too many options is that
the chances of picking the wrong one are also increased. Also a major subplot
will be R Ashwin’s bowling.
Mohali’s batting performance was flawless, with four
of their top six players scoring half century. India’s best-case scenario,
aside from trying to force Ishan Kishan to open the innings in place of Ruturaj
Gaikwad, is more runs from the middle order. Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav,
the latter of whom just got a fifty of his own in Mohali, will receive
particular attention.