Dominant Australia’s payback within reach
AUSTRALIA has the chance to rub India’s nose into the dirt tonight for refusing to add an extra ODI to the bizarre series that would’ve seen the BCCI rake in millions of dollars of bonus revenue.
News Corp revealed last week that Cricket Australia offered to play an extra game at no cost, in return for rescheduling the series outside of Australia’s summer.
But India refused and instead captain Aaron Finch’s men will look to wrap up backto-back ODI series wins in Rajkot tonight, a feat last accomplished by a touring team by Australia back in 2009.
The Aussies have played 943 ODIs but few were more convincing than Tuesday’s 10wicket win.
News Corp understands that Josh Hazlewood is certain to make his white-ball return tonight, with Australia set to give Mitchell Starc and Patrick Cummins a break in the final two matches.
The three-format superstars – who toiled through a five-Test home summer and T20 series – were both brilliant in Mumbai.
But with three ODIs in five days – all in different Indian cities – the Aussies are keen to rotate their fast bowlers, however they will not change their largely unused batting line-up in Rajkot tonight.
That means D’Arcy Short and Pete Handscomb could fly home on Monday without featuring in the heavyweight series.
Remarkably, wicketkeeper Alex Carey has not had to pick up a bat in seven white-ball games since last year’s World Cup semi-final due to Australia’s white-dominance.
Hazlewood has not played an ODI since 2018.
The Aussies need just one more win, either tonight in Rajkot or on Sunday in Bangalore, to clinch the three-match series.
A victory tonight would also extend Australia’s record winning sequence in Asia to 10 ODIs.
Kane Richardson got the nod over Hazlewood in Mumbai and Finch lauded his Big Bash teammate’s “outstanding” death bowling.
Finch called Rajkot’s Khandheri Cricket Stadium home for two Indian Premier League seasons, when he played for the Gujarat Lions from 2016-17, and tipped another run-fest tonight.
“It’s a beautiful place to bat,” Finch said.
India captain Virat Kohli is under fire for a batting experiment that is set to be reversed as they grapple with a concussion blow to Rishabh Pant.
While captain Aaron Finch said he expected Kohli to again bat at No.4, one of the most adored leaders in the country’s history was last night considering moving back to first drop, where he has played 180 ODIs.
Pant will miss tonight’s game and India have chosen not to replace the wicketkeeper with uncapped gloveman Sanju Samson.
News Corp understands that specialist opener KL Rahul will stand behind the stumps, as he did after Pant went down during Tuesday’s game, and also slide down to the foreign position of No.4.
That would enable order to be restored at the top, allowing Kohli to bat at No.3 and Sihkhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma to open.
Finch rated Kohli the “best one-day player of all time” and was not surprised that the Indian leader chose to demote himself to No.4 in Mumbai.
Adam Zampa’s golden run against Kohli continued when he dismissed him for the fourth time in 12 months, sharpening the focus on the batting rejig.
But Finch, who will play under Kohli in this year’s Indian Premier League, said the move made sense given the hot streak Rahul was on after scores of 102 and 77 against West Indies last month.
“(Rahul) has been smacking them,” Finch said. “I think that’s why they went that way.”