TIME TO FIGHT
Finch backs Australia to rise to the challenge against India T20 INTERNATIONAL
AARON Finch is confident Australia’s redefined approach to aggressive cricket will pack a punch when it welcomes India to the Gabba tonight — the only catch is that it will have to play well to do it.
Finch’s side was humbled by South Africa in a recent one-day series and one-off Twenty20, with Proteas’ captain Faf du Plessis describing the hosts as “tame” to local journalists on his return.
Australia’s short form captain disagreed with that perception, but said South Africa’s dominance had made it hard for the team to assert itself this season.
“South Africa were all over us from the start of that series with the ball,” Finch said yesterday.
“It’s pretty hard to come out and have so much presence when they’re so far ahead ... but I’m not sure about that (being tame) to be honest.”
Only five wins and a draw — including three T20 wins against Zimbabwe and the UAE — have come from Australia’s 21 games across all formats since the ill-fated tour of South Africa.
Tonight’s Twenty20 opener in Brisbane will be followed by two more T20s, where Finch hopes the Aussies rediscover their strut before four Tests and three ODIs against the top-ranked Test nation.
“The verbal stuff is the easy stuff and gets a bit lost sometimes,” he said. “It’s about your body language and presence on the ground, that’s what Australia always prides itself on in all sport.
“It can change quickly. One innings with the bat or one spell or bit of brilliance in the field to turn a match and turn a series.
“This is an opportunity to play some aggressive, attacking cricket, take the game on and take it to India.”
India has enjoyed success in the short forms on Australian shores but never won a Test series in the country.
With key batsmen Steve Smith and David Warner serving bans, captain Virat Kohli is doing his best to keep a lid on the hype but admits an element of unknown awaits.
“I can’t say what the atmosphere is going to be on the ground,” he said.
“There’s no denying the quality they have. They still have world class cricketers especially in the limited overs team.”
Finch hinted that all-rounder Ashton Agar could come into the side, potentially forming an all-West Australian attack alongside Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jason Behrendorff, Andrew Tye, Marcus Stoinis and D’Arcy Short.
Meanwhile, Finch is set to throw himself back into red ball cricket 36 hours after Australia’s final Twenty20 in a determined bid to find form before his first Test match on home soil.
The limited overs captain and Test opener is now Austra- lia’s only all-format cricketer, but despite the non-stop workload he has shouldered since late September, he will almost certainly pull on the whites for Victoria at the Gabba next week instead of taking a rest.
Finch has not opened the batting for his state for several seasons, but Victoria would be under enormous pressure to bow to national interests and give Justin Langer’s top order linchpin the chance to open against the red ball.
It’s now possible Victoria could have two openers playing the first Test against India on December 6 after Marcus Harris made a match-defining 67 yesterday to sink Tasmania at Bellerive Oval.
Harris averages 35.55 from 67 first-class matches, but has entered the selection frame because he’s one of only three domestic cricketers to have compiled 400-plus runs this Shield season — and at an average of 87.40.