Fitness worries before shootout
Shikhar Dhawan, who was hit on the ribs, is in a fitness race like fellow opener Rohit, who has a shoulder niggle
BENGALURU:From the moment the teams were announced, similar in strength and quality, this is how the ODI series was expected to unfold—1-1 going into the decider.
In these days of T20 domination, such has been their pull that India and Australia have played the series to packed houses in Mumbai and Rajkot. On Sunday, all roads will lead to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
The main players on either side have got into rhythm and the stage is set for a cracking finale. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan have got runs, and for Australia David Warner, Aaron Finch and Steve Smith have fired.
An added incentive for the home crowd will be the presence of two local boys, KL Rahul and Manish Pandey, and Kohli’s connect as skipper of the local IPL franchise.
Rahul was the toast of the country in the Rajkot win. From not getting a chance to bat at his favourite opener’s slot to doing a brilliant job down the order, apart from taking up wicketkeeping after Rishabh Pant suffered concussion, he has impressed due to his versatility.
The three senior pros laid the foundation at Rajkot, but Rahul flattened the Australian bowlers with audacious strokeplay. He targetted frontline bowlers Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, staying still till late to maintain great shape for executing his booming hits.
SWEATING OVER INJURIES
On the eve of the match, India were sweating over injuries to Shikhar Dhawan (was hit in the rib cage by a short ball) and Rohit Sharma (hurt left shoulder in fielding) in the second ODI.
It means there is still an outside chance Rahul could open the batting at his home ground. Even if he doesn’t, he will be ready for any other challenge, including keeping wicket if Pant is not passed fit or if the team management decides to continue with Rahul in his twin roles.
“I have been in decent form and am pretty confident about my skill, so coming up to every game and having a new responsibility and a new role is also a blessing.
“I don’t think a lot of batsmen get that and that is how I look at this and I am enjoying my batting, so wherever I get to bat I want to put up performances for the team,” said Rahul.
Wicketkeeping is tougher for the Karnataka batsman. “It’s (a challenge). Even for me sometimes I couldn’t pick Kuldeep and Jadeja, the pace he bowls is pretty difficult; it’s not what I get in my first-class team. Again, I don’t have any answers, or new answers, I’m just enjoying what’s thrown at me and trying to do the best I can.”
Toss could prove crucial in the decider as defending any total is difficult at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. However, the dew factor hardly plays a role and there is some assistance for spin in the second half. The team batting first will need an insurance of a total of 350 plus.
“Bangalore’s just a nice batting wicket. It feels like the ball goes further in the air, it sort of travels, you see lots of sixes generally there. It’s quite a fast outfield from memory, and it’s usually a nice-paced wicket. Probably not too dissimilar to out there (Rajkot). I can see perhaps another high-scoring game,” Steve Smith said.
The batsman the home team would desperately want to be on the park is Rohit Sharma. In two innings against Australia here, he has scored 209 and 65 (run out). His lowest score is 44 and he averages 106.
The team management is optimistic that the shoulder injury is not serious to keep Sharma out of the game, but they will take a final call on the morning of the Day/Nighter. “Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma are progressing well. Their recovery is being closely monitored and a call on their participation in the final ODI will be taken before the match,” said a team management statement.
With Rahul looking in sublime touch and Virat Kohli batting fluently, India will boast of an enviable line-up if Sharma and Dhawan are declared fit.
Australia match them in every department, powered by their dynamic opening combination of Aaron Finch and David Warner.
The key to defending the total at Rajkot was getting an early breakthrough. The FinchWarner pair’s record against India though is intimidating. They gave India no chance at the Wankhede with an epic partnership. Their record at Bengaluru is also impressive, having shared a 231-run partnership in 2017.
The world got their first sighting of Smith and Marnus Labuschangne batting together in onedayers and the bowlers can brace themselves for periods of long grind. As expected, the two combined with a partnership of 90-plus. Their main challenge is acceleration and that question remained after Rajkot. The pair is good at steadying and building the innings but lacks power-hitting.
SPIN ATTACK
For India, the positive from Friday’s win was the performance of their spinners. Against the right-handers, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav were in better control. It will be a different challenge if they have to bowl when David Warner is at the crease.
The skipper finished Jadeja’s quota by the 35th over, before the late order left-handers walked in. So, when to use and against whom will be a factor. Yadav’s confidence will be better after two big wickets on Friday.
After the disappointment of Wankhede, it was impressive how Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami built the pressure on the opening batsmen. Bumrah bowled two successive maidens, and with Finch struggling to score, Warner perished trying to set the pace against Shami.
Shami returned to pick two more. Though Bumrah didn’t have anything to show for his work, he would be happy with the way the ball was coming out of his hands. The key to his bowling is the flick of his wrist while the yorkers were back.
KOHLI HAS POINT TO PROVE
One man who would be most eager to set the record straight will be Kohli. Surprisingly, he has a modest record at his second home ground, averaging 12.60 in five ODIs with two run-outs.
Along with Rahul, the India skipper will draw the biggest cheer when he comes out to bat. Adam Zampa will be waiting to resume the battle, and knowing Kohli he will relish the challenge of taking on the exciting leg-spinner and do a course correction.
Even though India have wrested back the momentum, there are no favourites when these two teams clash. Both play an exciting brand of cricket. Smith said both set of players would be pumped up for the encounter.
“I think it sets up a nice grand finale doesn’t it? One-all going into Bangalore, usually another pretty good batting wicket, I think it’s going to be an exciting game, both teams have played some good cricket throughout this series. We are looking forward to the last one in Bangalore. Hopefully it’s a good show.”