 The first ODI between India and Australia will be played at Baroda
on the 25th of October. Earlier, this game was planned to be held in Jaipur, but
with the problems in the Rajasthan Cricket Associations between the incumbent
and Lalit Modi, the match has been shifted to Baroda. The last time these two
sides had met in Baroda, the Aussies had routed the Indians with a relative ease
en route a 5-2 score-line in the series. India will look to overturn the result
this time around.
Click for Live Score Card of India vs Australia
India will know that after their abysmal performances in two successive big
events - the ICC World T20 and the Champions Trophy - this series will
be very crucial. They would be up against an opposition which has not only beaten
England in their own turf 6-1, but also won the Champions Trophy without losing
a single game. In essence, it will be a tough series for the Indians and an
early loss could only end up denting their confidence.
Talking of the Indian side, they have made quite a few changes to their squad.
RP Singh is out, as is Rahul Dravid and Abhishek Nayar. Virender Sehwag
is fit for the series, and it will be interesting to see how he goes about his
business in his first international game after the supposed fall-out with his
captain M.S.Dhoni in June. From the India point of view, it is also good to
see that the likes of Yuvraj Singh is back, although, there is speculation
that he may not play in the first game of the series. Somehow, it is surprising
that he won't and if that would be the case, one does not see too many reasons
why Dravid was even dropped in the first place.
From Australia's point of view, there are some issues that even they need to
sort out. For one, Michael Clarke is out of the series and his experience
on these Indian conditions will obviously be missed. Secondly, Callum Ferguson
is out as well, and this will mean that the Aussies will need the plan the line-up
accordingly, given that there could be a worry about how Michael Hussey
also goes about his business.
The bowling should be difficult to face, especially given that Brett Lee
is in supreme bowling form and the wickets in India may keep slower and lower
than expected. The one at Baroda could get progressively more difficult, but
the plain fact is that the team batting first needs to play out the early morning
moisture and hence, would be an even battle of conditions.
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