India have lost two matches in succession where they posted over 300 runs in the first innings. Both matches saw Rohit Sharma post big hundreds, but with the sort of bowling attack that India have, it does seem that no score would be enough to keep the Aussies from overtaking them.
Indeed, we had suggested in our preview of the match in Brisbane that the only way India could win was by batting second and hopefully restricting Australia to a score of under 300. In a shocking move, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss, and decided to bat first, rather than to put the Aussies in. So Dhoni effectively ruled out his side from winning at the toss itself.
A lot of people have been talking about Dhoni’s batting, which seems to be getting worse every game. What is also clear is that Dhoni’s captaincy too has been getting terrible of late and records prove it. Dhoni has been making some very poor decisions as a captain, and it is no surprise that India lost the ODI series and T20s against South Africa and look likely to be whitewashed in this series against Australia.
India do have a replacement in Virat Kohli, so the sooner he is given charge in ODIs and T20s the better. India cannot afford to give Dhoni an extended farewell. Dhoni’s performances have been costing India dearly and there is only so much humiliation that a nation of 1.3 billion cricket fans can take. The series against Australia may well be the last we see of Dhoni in international cricket if, as it looks increasingly likely, India loses the ODI series either 4-1 or 5-0.
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Australia’s bowling – minus Mitchell Starc, who’s injured and Mitchell Johnson, who has retired – lacks pace and bite. We don’t see them capable of defending a score of around 300 against India. That’s why it is so important for India to bat second in tomorrow’s match at the MCG.
Australia will expect the power-hitting Aaron Finch to make a big one tomorrow at the MCG. Finch looks like a caged tiger and will want to show his potential in tomorrow’s match. Shikhar Dhawan – India’s version of Aaron Finch – has been a major disappointment, and has been so for a long time now. After his breakout entry into international cricket Shikhar really hasn’t done much and flattered to deceive on most occasions. India cannot continue to carry a non-performing player like him any longer.
The Teams
Australia: 1 Aaron Finch, 2 Shaun Marsh, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 George Bailey, 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 James Faulkner, 9 John Hastings, 10 Scott Boland, 11 Joel Paris
India: 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Ajinkya Rahane, 5 Manish Pandey, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Ishant Sharma, 10 Umesh Yadav/Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 11 Barinder Sran.
Match Conditions
We expect to see a lot of pace and bounce at the MCG. However, this is going to assist the batsman more than the bowlers as it is easier to score when the ball comes on to the bat faster, especially if there’s no lateral movement on the track. Mitchell Starc would have been able to exploit the conditions with his extra pace, but he is injured. We don’t see any of the other bowlers from either side doing much tomorrow.
Watch India take on Australia in the 3rd ODI live from the MCG at 8:50 am tomorrow on Star Sports!
