India look to pounce on weakened Aussies

Brisbane, November 20 

An Australia in turmoil, both on and off the field, has made India the firm favourites in the compelling rivalry’s latest battle which begins with a T20I series here on Wednesday.

In a bid to assert themselves as favourites for the Test series, which starts on December 6 in Adelaide, India would be hoping to dominate the three T20Is. The touring side have won their previous seven T20I series dating back to November 2017, and their last defeat in the format was against West Indies in July last year.

On their last visit here, the Men in Blue won the T20I series 3-0. So, they will be riding high on a wave of confidence and eager to make an early mark on this trip.

Australian cricket, in contrast, has been dogged by structural reforms in the wake of the ball-tampering saga in South Africa in March and it has resulted in turbulence on the field as well.

In the absence of Steve Smith and David Warner, Australia’s results have fallen. They are yet to win a T20I series against an opposition of note since March. They lost to England in a one-off game in June, lost to Pakistan in the T20I tri-series final in Zimbabwe, lost 3-0 to Pakistan in the bilateral series in the UAE and lost to South Africa in a rain-curtailed one-off match on Saturday. It remains to be seen whether being on home turf would raise the spirits of the Aussies.

T20s our best chance of upsetting India: Finch 

Skipper Aaron Finch reckoned the T20Is will be Australia’s best chance to challenge an upbeat India.

“Although we lost to Pakistan in the UAE, we are a very good T20 side,” Finch said. “I think we played some good cricket in Zimbabwe and before that in the tri-series against New Zealand and England last year. We are very confident in this format,” he added.

Return of Virat

The one significant change for India ahead of this series is the return of skipper Virat Kohli, who was rested for the three-match contest against West Indies at home.

On the other hand, Australia will be missing their top batsmen, Smith and Warner. Kohli said that he expected Australia to challenge on their home soil nevertheless.

“Missing out on two of their best batsmen is not an ideal thing,” Kohli said. “But this Australian team still has the quality to make an impact despite missing their two best batsmen. We will have to be at our best to beat Australia in Australia,” he added. — PTI

On a roll

India have won their last four T20Is vs Australia on their soil, after losing their first two T20Is there. The 6 T20Is:

2016: Aussie whitewash

3-0Was the scoreline in favour of India in their T20I series in 2016, after Australia had won the ODI series 4-1

199Runs scored by Virat Kohli in the 

3-0 win in the T20Is. Rohit Sharma made 143 runs, Jasprit Bumrah picked up 6 wickets as the MS Dhoni-led team became first Indian side to whitewash Australia on their home soil

CA upholds bans on Smith, Warner

Brisbane: Steve Smith and David Warner will not be available for Australia’s upcoming series against India after the year-long ball-tampering bans on them were upheld by Cricket Australia on Tuesday after a review. In recent days, owing in no small measure to the Australian team’s poor on-field performances, there was a clamour for the bans to be reduced. It would have allowed the two players, as well as batsman Cameron Bancroft, who was given a nine-month ban, to return to competitive cricket earlier than stipulated. 

Bangar sent to Sydney to help Test specialists

The Indian team management has decided to send batting coach Sanjay Bangar to Sydney to help Test specialists prepare for the opener starting December 6. Bangar will be helping out the likes of Prithvi Shaw and Hanuma Vihari, who will train in the nets in Sydney for the next five days. PTI