India beats Australia to seal a series win

India recorded their first ever bilateral series triumph on Australian soil, as they clinched the Twenty20 rubber by taking an unassailable 2-0 lead with a comprehensive 27-run victory in the second match, riding on an all-round show here today.

Put in to bat, India relied on brilliant innings by Rohit Sharma (60) and Virat Kohli (59), along with a useful 42 by opener Shikhar Dhawan, to post a formidable 184/3.

Defending the target, the Indian bowlers put up a fine collective effort to rip through Australia’s middle order and restrict the hosts to 157/8 in 20 overs.

The Indians thus took a 2-0 lead in the three-match series, which ends on Sunday in Sydney. This was India’s first ever bilateral series win Down Under. The Indians had earlier won a tri-series in 2007-08 and the Benson and Hedges World Championship in 1985.

The triumph is a remarkable turnaround for the Indians, who suffered a humiliating 1-4 debacle in the preceding ODI series.

In today’s match as well, it was a turnaround of sorts by the bowlers, who withstood the early onslaught to make good recovery.

Chasing 185, Australia got off to a rolling start as Shaun Marsh (23) paired up with skipper Aaron Finch (74 runs, 48 balls, 8 fours, 2 sixes) at the top.

India opened with Ashish Nehra (0-34) and Jasprit Bumrah (2-37), but instead of rotating the bowlers at the beginning like in Adelaide, the two were persisted with for the first six overs.

And they bled runs as the 50-mark came up for Australia in just 31 balls. As soon as the power play got over though, Ravindra Jadeja (2-32) was brought into the attack and things started happening, though not in India’s favour. Mahendra Singh Dhoni missed a regulation stumping of Marsh, while at the other end Finch completed his 6th T20I fifty off just 27 balls, bringing it up with a six off R Ashwin (1-27).

Thereafter, Finch survived thrice, enjoying dropped catches in two overs, one each by Umesh Yadav, Rishi Dhawan and Shikhar Dhawan, in the ninth and 10th overs respectively.

The bowlers continued to suffer and the only bright spark was when Hardik Pandya finally caught Marsh at long on.

It was also perhaps the turning point. The all-rounder removed Chris Lynn (2) in the next over, caught behind. Yuvraj Singh (1—7) had Glenn Maxwell (1) stumped in the 12th over.

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Disturbed by spidercam, Dhoni calls for balance

Not too happy with the use of overhead ‘Spidercam’ during the ODI series against Australia, India’s limited-over skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has called for a balance in the usage of such technology so that it doesn’t interfere with the on-field action.

During the fifth ODI, India were denied a boundary in the 19th over when Virat Kohli’s shot off John Hastings had hit the spidercam, prompting the umpires to declare it a dead ball.

Though it didn’t have any bearing on the result as India chased down a 331-run victory target to clinch the final ODI by six wickets but Dhoni said such intrusion can affect the results of close contests.

“I am quite a traditional guy. Anything that disturbs the game of cricket I don’t like it,” Dhoni told reporters after India won the fifth one-dayer to avoid a whitewash.

“It all started right from the Twenty20 where people would be like, ‘Why don’t you wear a mic?’, ‘Why don’t you wear a camera?’

“I always feel there is always a need for a balance. At the end of the day, it’s a spectators’ sport, people watching on television, but at the same time four runs can really matter.

“Especially when it’s a 310-320 game, those four runs can be crucial,” he said.

Dhoni also suggested that some form of penalty should be imposed if Spidercam gets in the way during the match.

“Everyone gets penalised, why not have the same system for the Spidercam? Say, ‘Okay if you get hit, $2,000 per hit.’ Let’s make it interesting,” he said jokingly.

Australian captain also Steven Smith echoed Dhoni’s views.

“I just think we need to make sure it’s away when the ball is coming,” said Smith, who had dropped a simple catch at the Sydney Cricket Ground last year during a Test against India after getting distracted by the Spidercam.

“We don’t need to see things like that where it’s a dead ball. Something like that can really change the course of the game.

“So I just think we need to make sure we get him out of the way when the bowler is coming in to bowl,” he said.

On a lighter note, Smith quipped: “He was probably our best fielder tonight, Spidercam. He saved four.”

Australia didn’t have a good day on the field as there were many fielding lapses, especially by Shaun Marsh and Nathan Lyon, who dropped simple chances.

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Smith, Finch disagree with Maxwell’s comments on Indian batsmen

Australia skipper Steve Smith and Aaron Finch on Friday begged to differ with teammate Glenn Maxwell’s comments on the Indian batsmen being “milestone-driven”, saying it was his personal opinion.

All-rounder Maxwell had criticised the Indian batsmen of being more concerned about their personal achievements than the team’s interest.

“The talk of Indian players being selfish was obviously Glenn’s view; that’s not my personal view,” Finch told reporters.

“Virat Kohli got a 100 off 80-odd balls the other day — there was nothing selfish about that innings. That was an extraordinary, extraordinary innings. Shikhar Dhawan got it off about 95 balls, I think. He took the game on at the start for India along with Rohit (Sharma) and got them off to an absolute flyer. Gee! There are some seriously good players in India. Virat — 25 ODI hundreds now. That’s an unbelievable achievement,” he added.

Smith, meanwhile, said it was only natural for a batsman to slow down when he is approaching a milestone.

“I think that can be natural for anyone around the world. When you see that sort of milestone coming, in the back of your mind you might slow down a little bit. I think Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are quality players and they’re batting beautifully and I don’t see any problem with any selfishness there,” said Smith.

After his match-winning knock of 96 runs in the third ODI, Maxwell had stated that the Indian batsmen were playing for personal landmarks.

“They were, probably, just making sure they got to a milestone. Some people are milestone-driven, some people aren’t,” Maxwell had said.

The all-rounder also cited the example of Kohli, saying: “I think, if you look back at it. I was sent a photo the other day. It said — Virat was 84 off 63 (factually, he was 84 off 61), and then 100 off 89 (100 off 84) or something like that. He got his last 11 runs off 22 (21) balls to get his hundred.”

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Maxwell denies attacking Kohli

Swashbuckling Australian batsman Glenn Maxwell on Friday dismissed reports that he had criticised Virat Kohli, saying it was “completely untrue” and the Australian team was actually “in awe” of the India Test captain.

Despite nursing a bruised tendon above his right knee and a sore left hamstring, which rendered him doubtful for the fifth and final ODI in Sydney on Saturday, Maxwell took to social media to clear the air about the reports.

“Taken out of context... I also complimented him (Kohli) on how well he had played and got his team into a winning position,” Maxwell wrote on his twitter handle on Friday.

Maxwell, who had hit 96 and 41 in the 3rd and 4th ODIs to help Australia clinch the series 4-0, also spoke to Cricket Australia to clarify his comments about Kohli.

“I was asked to give a bit of an assessment of who was dominating with the bat in this series, and I said ‘I don’t think anyone in the world is hitting the ball better than Virat at the moment’,” Maxwell told cricket.com.au.

A lot of us are still in awe of what he can do on the field, and the way that he all but took the game away from us the other night in Canberra was something that we were pretty much powerless to stop.

“But some of the reporting I’ve seen today makes it seem like I was personally attacking one of the best players in the game about the way he plays, which is completely untrue.”

Kohli became the fastest batsman to score 25th ODI ton when he blasted 106 in only his 162nd innings while India were chasing a mammoth 349 for a win in the fourth one-dayer. He surpassed the feat of Sachin Tendulkar who achieved it in 1998 in 234 innings.

Further clarifying his comments, the 27-year-old Maxwell said: “The point that I was making, and it related more to when India were setting totals and had plenty of wickets in hand, is that the scoring rate seemed to slow as milestones got close, which can sometimes be the case, especially when teams are batting first.

“Maintaining a constant scoring rate can be less straightforward batting first than when you’re chasing and you know what the required rate has to be, and there have been times when batters just seem to have slowed a bit to make sure they reach those milestones.”

“Sometimes that wins you games, and sometimes it doesn’t but that was the only point I was trying to make. I’ve got a really good relationship with Virat off the field and I’ve already had a chat with him,” Maxwell added.

Kohli has been involved in a number of volatile exchanges with Australia players in recent years, most recently in a series of running verbal battles with all-rounder James Faulkner.

But Maxwell quashed any suggestions that there was any bad blood between Kohli and Australia players, who has succeeded World Cup-winning captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni as Test skipper.

“Everyone wants to play like Virat does. As a team, we have enormous respect for him largely because he goes about his cricket in much the same way as we do. He’s a hard competitor on the field but very fair, and he loves to give as good as he gets,” Maxwell said.

“Plus he takes the opposition on and that always earns you huge respect from Australian players and fans. There’s no doubt that during this ODI series everyone’s enjoyed the way that he’s taken on the role of aggressor, and the battles he’s had with James Faulkner have been a real highlight.

“And off the field, he’s really likeable, he’s got a great personality and he’s happy to show that which makes him one of those guys that people can relate to,” he said.

Dhoni has come under a lot of flak for India’s loss in the ODI series but Maxwell defended the Indian ODI skipper.

“I think everyone is unbelievably harsh on M.S. Dhoni. If he vacates that middle-order, it leaves their batting even more thin with the inexperienced guys they’ve brought in,” he said.

“With four years until the next World Cup, it’s probably the perfect time now to bring in young guys and give them a chance to stake their claim but unfortunately for India they can’t realistically break up the middle-order like we were able to.”

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Aus vs Ind: India loses once again

Kane Richardson took five wickets, including four in his last four overs, as Australia held on to beat India by 25 runs on Wednesday and extend its lead to 4-0 with one match remaining in the limited—overs international series.

Aaron Finch made 107 and David Warner returned from paternity leave to score 93 as Australia posted a total of 348-8 after winning the toss and batting.

India was coasting at 277 for 1 in reply in the 38th over but lost its last nine wickets for 46 runs, with Richardson taking 4-16 in a match-turning spell and returning 5-68 for the innings.

Shikhar Dhawan scored 126 and Virat Kohli added 106, the pair sharing a 212-run partnership for the second wicket and seemingly setting India on course for a victory, until the dramatic late collapse ended with the visitors all out for 323 in 49.2 overs.

The pattern of the series changed slightly on Wednesday; India batted first in each of the first three matches and lost.

Finch reached his seventh ODI century from 97 balls. It was his first against India and his second at Manuka Oval in the Australian capital.

Warner was the main aggressor in a blazing beginning by the Australian openers who rushed to 40—0 after five overs.

Warner was out in the 30th over when he chopped a ball from Ishant Sharma onto his middle stump.

Finch was out when Australia was 221-2 in the 38th over after he and Mitchell Marsh had added only 34 runs in 8.4 overs. The opener reached 100 with a single from his 97th delivery, two years after his first century at Manuka Oval against South Africa.

Finch was finally caught off Umesh Yadav, skying a pull shot to Ishant Sharma at mid-on.

Finch’s power-hitting claimed one notable casualty. In the 17th over, his straight drive hit English umpire Richard Kettleborough on the right leg and Kettleborough was forced to retire from the match. He was replaced by Australia’s Paul Wilson.

Steve Smith hit the ball powerfully from the outset and reached his 50 from 27 balls.

The Australians lost 5-37 to lose momentum before Glenn Maxwell hit 41 from 20 balls with six fours and a six, falling to the last ball of the innings.

The fifth match will be played in Sydney on Saturday.

Scoreboard

Australia innings: David Warner b I Sharma 93; Aaron Finch c I Sharma b Yadav 107; Mitchell Marsh c Kohli b Yadav 33; Steven Smith c G Singh b I Sharma 51; Glenn Maxwell c M Pandey b I Sharma 41; Gorge Bailey c R Sharma b I Sharma 10; James Faulkner b Yadav 0; Mathew Wade run out 0; John Hastings not out 0. Extras (LB—7, WD—6) 13

Total (For 8 wickets in 50 overs) 348

Fall of wickets: 1—187, 2—221, 3—288, 4—298, 5—319, 6—319, 7—321, 8—348.

Bowling: Umesh Yadav 10—1—67—3, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 8—0—69—0, Ishant Sharma 10—0—77—4, Gurkeerat Singh 3—0—24—0, Rishi Dhawan 9—0—53—0, Ravindra Jadeja 10—0—51—0.

India innings: R. Sharma c Wade b Richardson 41; S. Dhawan c Bailey b Hastings 126; V. Kohli c Smith b Richardson 106; M.S. Dhoni c Wade b Hastings 0; G. Mann c sub b Lyon 5; R. Jadeja not out 24; A. Rahane c Smith b Richardson 2; R. Dhawan c Warner b Richardson 9; B. Kumar c Smith b Richardson 2; U. Yadav c Bailey b M. Marsh 2; I. Sharma c Wade b M. Marsh 0. Extras (nb-1 w-5) 6

Total (all out, 49.2 overs) 323

Fall of wickets: 1-65, 2-277, 3-277, 4-278, 5-286, 6-294, 7-308, 8-311, 9-315, 10-323

Bowling: N. Lyon 10 - 0 - 76 - 1 K. Richardson 10 - 1 - 68 - 5 J. Hastings 10 - 0 - 50 - 2(nb-1 w-1) J. Faulkner 7 - 0 - 48 - 0(w-1) M. Marsh 9.2 - 0 - 55 - 2(w-2) G. Maxwell 1 - 0 - 10 - 0(w-1) S. Smith 2 - 0 - 16 - 0

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Harsh steps need to be taken post-ODI series: Gavaskar

Former captain Sunil Gavaskar on Wednesday called for harsh steps in the setup of the struggling Indian cricket team in Australia, saying some of the players have not learnt from their past mistakes despite making the trip Down Under multiple times.

“We have to take harsh step after the series is done. I am not calling for a complete overhaul but there are players who have not learnt from their past mistakes. There are players who have made 3-4 trips to Australia but they have not learnt from their mistakes. If we are looking at building a team for the 2019 World Cup, we need to blood some youngsters in,” a disappointed Gavaskar told a television channel after an unexpected batting collapse pushed India 0-4 down in the five-match series.

Gavaskar was more critical of the bowlers who let the team down and said dropping star spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for the second game in a row made little sense.

“Not playing Ashwin for the second game in a row was not a good decision. I feel the conditions in Canberra would have suited him. Some of other bowlers seem to be the same mistake over and over again,” he said.

On the learning process the team management and captain M.S. Dhoni keeps talking about, Gavaskar said: “Well, every game is a learning experience but are the players learning from their mistakes? If not, then there is a problem. The series result is really disappointing.

“India has all lost four matches from winning position. Today I think Virat (Kohli) getting out put pressure on the batsman to follow. Ajinkya Rahane not coming out to bat number four also made a difference as he did not look hundred percent when he did come to bat at No 7.”

Dhoni himself took the blame on him for not getting the team home and Gavaskar also felt the skipper should have done more. Dhoni fell without scoring and Kohli got out soon after to allow Australia stage a dramatic comeback.

“He himself had said the he should have got the job done from that position. It is unfortunate that he lasted just two balls,” Gavaskar added.

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Kohli’s ‘smashed you enough’ retort leaves Faulkner stumped

James Faulkner’s attempt to engage India’s Virat Kohli in a war of words during the third ODI in Melbourne backfired on the Australian paceman as the star batsman emphatically told him to just keep bowling as “I have smashed you enough in my life”.

Kohli, who became the fastest to reach 7000 ODI runs and 24 centuries en route a run-a-ball 117 in a losing cause at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday, was batting on 73 when Faulkner tried to rile up the batsman.

“You’re wasting your energy. There’s no point, I’ve smashed you enough in my life. Just go and bowl,” Kohli was heard telling Faulkner, who challenged the Indian to go after his bowling.

“Smile. Having fun aren’t we?” the Australian responded.

The incident happened as Kohli completed a single at the non-striker’s end when Faulkner was returning to his bowling mark in the 35th over of the Indian innings. Faulkner tried to instigate Kohli, who is also known for his aggressive attitude, and the batsman responded in kind. Their utterances were caught in the stump microphone.

Kohli’s effort was the highlight of India’s outing at the MCG, where they conceded the five-match ODI series 0-3 to the hosts after yet another sloppy performance.

Batting first, India scored 295 for six in 50 overs with Kohli doing the bulk of scoring. In reply, Australia never looked in trouble as they knocked off the required runs with 1.1 overs still remaining.

However, while surpassing the twin milestones in just his 161st innings, Kohli got the better of the Australian bowling attack at the hallowed turf.

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Kohli’s ‘smashed you enough’ retort leaves Faulkner stumped

James Faulkner’s attempt to engage India’s Virat Kohli in a war of words during the third ODI in Melbourne backfired on the Australian paceman as the star batsman emphatically told him to just keep bowling as “I have smashed you enough in my life”.

Kohli, who became the fastest to reach 7000 ODI runs and 24 centuries en route a run-a-ball 117 in a losing cause at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday, was batting on 73 when Faulkner tried to rile up the batsman.

“You’re wasting your energy. There’s no point, I’ve smashed you enough in my life. Just go and bowl,” Kohli was heard telling Faulkner, who challenged the Indian to go after his bowling.

“Smile. Having fun aren’t we?” the Australian responded.

The incident happened as Kohli completed a single at the non-striker’s end when Faulkner was returning to his bowling mark in the 35th over of the Indian innings. Faulkner tried to instigate Kohli, who is also known for his aggressive attitude, and the batsman responded in kind. Their utterances were caught in the stump microphone.

Kohli’s effort was the highlight of India’s outing at the MCG, where they conceded the five-match ODI series 0-3 to the hosts after yet another sloppy performance.

Batting first, India scored 295 for six in 50 overs with Kohli doing the bulk of scoring. In reply, Australia never looked in trouble as they knocked off the required runs with 1.1 overs still remaining.

However, while surpassing the twin milestones in just his 161st innings, Kohli got the better of the Australian bowling attack at the hallowed turf.

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Century is immaterial if team does not win: Rohit

His last three international hundreds have been in losing causes and Indian batsman Rohit Sharma feels that even the best of knocks do not give a player satisfaction if the team ends up on a losing note.

Rohit smashed his way to an unbeaten 171 in the first ODI against Australia but the home team comfortably won by five wickets in Perth on Tuesday.

“It was a great knock and it is always important to start the series on a positive note. (But) it was disappointing in the end not to be on the winning side because that is what matters at the end of the day. How many runs you score doesn’t matter if your team doesn’t end up winning,” Rohit told bcci.tv on Wednesday.

“Personally, it was important that I could get the team off to a good start and then carry on the momentum from there. That is exactly what I did.”

Someone, who is now known for scoring big hundreds in the 50-over format, Rohit is happy that he is carrying on the good work after getting a start.

“We always talk about this in our team meeting that one batsman needs to carry on and bat as long and deep as possible. One set batsman batting till the end makes a huge difference. I feel I have been doing that of late. I have been getting past 100 and then trying my best to get bigger scores after the century.

“Hundred is just a milestone, but you have to look at it from the team’s perspective as well. I want to get big hundreds for the team.”

On bouncy Australian tracks, the key to success is playing with soft hands and the Mumbaikar said he has exactly been doing that.

“It is something that I have been doing of late, which is to assess the situation initially and then accelerate. With two new white balls from both ends end, it does do a little bit, especially here in Perth, there is a bit of extra bounce. As a batsman, it is important to analyse what is happening.

“You have to be wary of such factors and shot selections become very important. I had a certain gameplan in my head and I was trying to execute it. Once I got into my zone, it was important to carry on and make it big from there. I wanted to get the team to a good total,” he added.

The batsman said that the team needs to check what went wrong. “We need to see where we went wrong.”

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India has to live with bad umpiring decisions: Haddin

Former Australia wicketkeeper-batsman Brad Haddin on Wednesday said India have to live with bad decisions from the umpires until and unless they stop opposing the Decision Review System (DRS) technology.

The 38-year-old added the visitors were not in a position to complain given their refusal to adopt the DRS.

Replays and hot spot indicated Australia batsman George Bailey should have been out first ball, caught by India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni down the leg side after he was flicked on the glove, but umpire Richard Kettleborough spared him.

From there Bailey bludgeoned a century in a record-breaking stand with Steve Smith, which helped Australia chase down India’s 309 and take a 1-0 series lead in the five-match One-Day International (ODI) series on Tuesday.

Dhoni attracted raised eyebrows with his response when asked whether he believed his team was punished with 50-50 calls going against them as a result of their position on the DRS.

“I may agree with you,” Dhoni replied to the reporter following his team’s loss to Australia in the first ODI, a match in which the non-dismissal of George Bailey cost them dearly.

“India is the one that don’t want it, so they’ve got to live with these decisions,” Haddin was quoted as saying by Sky Sports Radio.

“They can scream as much as they want about whether it’s a conspiracy or that world cricket is against them, but they don’t want DRS so they are going to have to cop those sorts of decisions on the chin,” he said.

The former Test vice-captain agreed that Bailey had been fortunate.

“They’re usually hard ones to give down leg side because you’ve got hands and legs and that everywhere. But I reckon that was obvious last night that came off the glove,” he said.

Dhoni and the BCCI remain unmoved on anti-technology stance and in particular their opposition to ball tracking.

New BCCI president Shashank Manohar said last month that unless DRS became “foolproof” the Indians would continue to refuse the technology.

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With eye on World T20, India-Australia renew fierce rivalry

India will look to get their combination right as they renew their fierce rivalry against a confident Australia in the first of the five-match ODI series starting in Perth on Tuesday, marking the onset of a long limited-overs schedule stretching until the World T20.

The short limited overs series, including five ODIs and three T20 internationals, Down Under will initiate the Indian team’s preparations for the marquee ICC World T20 scheduled in March-April.

The T20 games will be played after the five ODIs, and Dhoni’s boys would like to carry the momentum in the shortest format.

Warm-up matches

While India won both their warm-up games — a T20 and 50-over match each — against the second string Western Australia XI, it is certainly not the best indicator of the kind of challenge they will face from Steve Smith’s men.

India did not have a great 2015 when they came to the 50-over format as they lost back-to-back series to Bangladesh (away) and South Africa (at home).

Rue Shami’s absence

Skipper Dhoni will like to turn the tables in the New Year but will rue the fact that one of his best pace weapons, Mohammed Shami, has been ruled out due to a hamstring injury even before the first ball has been bowled.

But there are certain aspects that might also relieve Dhoni. The fact that David Warner may not be available for better part of the series and with Mitchell Starc or the now retired Mitchell Johnson not there, the Aussie bowling attack comprising Josh Hazlewood, Joel Paris, Scott Boland and Jimmy Faulkner looks thin on experience.

As far as his own bowling attack is concerned, Dhoni has been fretting over the possible playing XI combinations.

Three-man pace attack

His most experienced bowler Ishant Sharma did not play any of the two warm-up games, so it’s not known whether he would be playing in the opening game.

With three pacers almost certain to play at the WACA, which is the bounciest of Australian pitches, there are high chances that left-arm pacer Barinder Sran could win his maiden India cap alongside Ishant and Umesh Yadav.

The lanky Sran looked impressive in both the practice matches with both pace and swing in his armoury. With a deceptive short ball, Sran could prove to be a handful, complementing Ishant and Umesh.

The two experienced spin-bowling all-rounders Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja will make up the five-pronged bowling attack for India.

Batting line-up almost settled

The batting unit looks more or less settled with Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan in the opening slots followed by vice captain Virat Kohli at No 3. Ajinkya Rahane is expected at No 4 and one might find the Indian captain batting at No 5.

In the middle-order, the No 6 slot will see a new face.

Vacuum by Suresh Raina absence

One among Manish Pandey or Gurkeerat Singh will be playing in slot that got vacated due to Suresh Raina’s exclusion from the squad.

Manish Pandey, who made an impressive ODI debut against Zimbabwe last year, staked his claim with a 58 in the practice game, but Gurkeerat has been a consistent performer for Punjab and India A.

Dhoni always doesn’t go by scores in warm-up games so it would not be surprising if he picks Gurkeerat ahead of Manish in the end.

The other option could be seamer all-rounder Rishi Dhawan. But the pace at which he bowls, and his batting abilities on this kind of track, has not really been tested.

The year is going to be important for Dhoni, who has been named captain till the end of World T20.

The selectors wanted to send a message by putting an end to the question mark over his leadership. But the man himself knows that he has to up the ante and perform for his team.

India needs Dhoni to produce match-winning efforts, which have been few and far between in recent times. It will be interesting to see where Dhoni comes into bat. For him, a lot will depend on how his pace battery delivers.

During the World Cup last year, the trio of Umesh, Shami and Mohit bowled like well-oiled machines even though the Bengal pacer was on injections to lessen the excruciating pain on his knee.

Smith — man to watch out for

It won’t be easy to stem the flow of runs if Australia skipper Smith gets going. Warner, for whatever time he is available, would be a threat looming large on the bowlers. His sheer presence can be intimidating.

Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell can take apart any bowling on their day.

Then there is former captain George Bailey, a very competent player in this format and someone who can build an innings. James Faulkner’s prowess as a batsman is well known to the Indians and especially Ishant Sharma, who was hammered during the 2013 series.

In the larger scheme of things then, Team India couldn’t have asked for a better challenge to kick-start their preparation for the ICC event two months down the road.

Immediate concern for India

Immediate concerns are aplenty though, ranging from solving the batting order equation to finding the right balance with the bowling attack. Starting with the latter, Shami’s hamstring injury is a big blow to Indian hopes.

The pacer spent a considerable time away from the game since the 2015 ODI World Cup, but it cannot be denied that he was the spearhead of the attack in the limited-overs arena.

During their last trip here in 2014-15, he was the most improved bowler across four-plus months spent, and it showed in the manner he picked 17 wickets in the World Cup.

Stretching back to 2011-12, this is Yadav’s fourth visit to Australia, and he will be eager to showcase that experience on the field.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar had suffered at their hands too, and it will be interesting to see if he regains his place in the XI, after being called as Shami’s replacement.

Ishant is back in the ODI fold again, after missing out on the World Cup last year owing to injury. The duo will fight it out for the third pacer spot, for Sran, with his left-arm angle and extra pace, is in line for his debut.

India will surely look to play five bowlers, and in the 50-over warm-up game, all three spinners in the squad picked up two wickets each. It isn’t going to deter Dhoni’s plan of fielding R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja ahead of Axar Patel.

New-look Australia

A day ahead of the game, Australia have already named the playing eleven. 23-year-old left-arm quick Joel Paris and 26-year-old Scott Boland have been handed their ODI debuts.

Mitchell Marsh and James Faulkner will make it a pace-heavy attack.

Squads

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain and wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Manish Pandey, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Barinder Sran, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Axar Patel, Rishi Dhawan

Australia: Steve Smith (captain), Aaron Finch, David Warner, George Bailey, Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, James Faulkner, Matthew Wade (WK), Kane Richardson, Josh Hazlewood, Joel Paris, Scott Boland.

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I’ve let the boys know about Sran: Smith

He may be an unknown entity in international cricket but Barinder Sran is not quite unfamiliar to Australian captain Steve Smith, who says the rookie pacer has impressive variations in his armoury and was discussed in the dressing room.

“I haven’t seen much of Sran’s one-day cricket back home in India, but I saw him bowling in the IPL with Rajasthan Royals and he was quite impressive. He’s a tall lad, swings the ball early and he’s got a few change-ups — I’ve let the boys know about them,” said Smith of his IPL teammate on the eve of the first of five-match ODI series starting in Perth on Tuesday.

India could opt to hand their left-arm seamer Sran a debut, while Gurkeerat Mann and Rishi Dhawan wait in the wings. Thanks to his half-century in the war-up match on Saturday, Manish Pandey looks set to bat at number five on Tuesday.

“I know some of the young guys that are going to get an opportunity through IPL — the likes of Manish Pandey, who I think has progressed really well and played some good cricket of late. And obviously the experience of Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma in the top order — they are pretty crucial wickets for us, and hopefully we can get them early,” Clarke said.

Smith hoped that the pitch at the WACA will aid his seamers.

The hosts have named an all-pace attack for the first of the five-match series.

“There wasn’t much pace and bounce in it when we played against New Zealand. Hopefully, tomorrow it can have that,” said Smith on Monday, on the eve of the series.

“It looks a little bit soft at the moment, underfoot, but obviously we’re still a day out from the game. We’ll see how it looks tomorrow. Hopefully, it has more pace and bounce than in that Test.”

“It’s traditional that we can use a left-arm seamer here who can use the breeze and swing the ball. The wicket looks like it’ll be a good one. We are happy to start at the WACA and Gabba for the first two matches of the series. They have been fortresses for us in ODI cricket for a while. Obviously, the conditions are a bit different to what the Indians are used to back home and hopefully we can exploit that,” he added.

The 23-year-old left-arm pacer Joel Paris will make his debut tomorrow then, and it will be a special affair for him as the WACA is his home ground. 26-year-old Victorian Scott Boland will also be handed his first ODI cap as Australian named an all-pace attack with Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh and James Faulkner filling up the numbers.

“Joel Paris has been very impressive in the Matador Cup for the last couple of years and in the Big Bash this year.

Perth is one of the best places in the world to bowl as a fast bowler. You get good pace and carry and a little bit of swing.

It’s a great opportunity for all of them tomorrow, and particularly Joel playing in his home ground,” said the Australian skipper.

Talking about the inexperienced bowling attack in the absence of the retired Mitchell Johnson and the injured Mitchell Starc, Smith said, “We’ve got a pretty young, inexperienced bowling attack, but they’ve all been bowling well and I think it’s a really exciting time for Australian cricket to see these young guys coming through. I’m sure they are going to relish the opportunity to bowl at places like the WACA and the Gabba.”

“India have got some very good players of fast bowling. Last year the more they played in these conditions throughout the Test matches, ODIs and the World Cup, they looked like they adapted to the conditions. For us, we used Glenn Maxwell as our spinner through the World Cup and used our pace attack to good effect. Particularly at the Gabba and WACA, we can use the quicks a lot more than the spinners,” he added.

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Batsmen disappoint; India wins warm-up game

Rohit Sharma and Manish Pandey sparkled with half-centuries but rest of India’s batsmen put up a lacklustre performance before the bowlers came good to hand the team a 64-run win over a second string Western Australia XI in the warm-up one-day cricket match in Perth on Saturday.

Having won the first practice Twenty20, the Indians once managed to hit the right notes in bowling after an erratic batting performance at the WACA. After managing 249 all out in 49.1 overs, the Indians packed WA XI for 185 in 49.2 overs.

Electing to bat, the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side did not have the best of starts, losing two quick wickets but Rohit Sharma (67) and Ajinkya Rahane (41) stitched an 88-run third-wicket partnership to help the visitors put up a respectable score.

Shikhar Dhawan (4) and Virat Kohli (7), who were top-scorers in the first warm-up T20 game on Friday, failed to get going as they fell to new-ball bowler Drew Porter, who bagged a five-wicket haul.

The WA bowlers kept pegging things back with regular wickets and Rahane’s departure once again spelt trouble for the Men in Blue.

Pandey then put his hand up to contribute with a well-made 58 and stake his claim for a place in the middle-order in the absence of Suresh Raina.

Pandey, who hit three fours in his 59-ball stay, managed a 60-run seventh-wicket partnership with Ravindra Jadeja (26) to pace up the innings.

But the tail failed to wag and Rishi Dhawan’s (0) run-out didn’t help matters and the visitors could not last their full quota of 50 overs.

Porter (5-37) made life difficult for the Indian batsmen on a fast and bouncy track while leg-spinner James Muirhead chipped in with two scalps. Pace spearhead David Moody and leg-spinner Liam O’Connor bagged a wicket apiece.

In reply, the William Bosisto-led side started on a cautious note against a disciplined Indian attack led by Umesh Yadav (1-29), but soon hit a rough patch after losing a couple of wickets.

Yadav drew first blood with the wicket of Bosisto (13) and Ravichandran Ashwin (2-32) soon sprung into action to send back D’Arcy Short (10).

Ravindra Jadeja (2-38) and Rishi Dhawan (2-28) also struck in quick succession as WA soon started losing their way. Jadeja trapped opener Jake Carder LBW for 45.

Left-arm spinner Axar Patel (2-29) got wicketkeeper-batsman Josh Inglis for 17, while Ashwin struck again to get Porter (10) caught behind.

No.7 Jaron Morgan made a fighting 50, but his innings came too late in the day with the asking rate and the target beyond their reach.

Jadeja, Patel and Gurkeerat Singh then bagged a wicket each to wipe off the tail.

Both the teams were allowed to play all 14 members of their squad in the 50-over game with only 11 allowed to bat and field at a time.

The first of the five ODIs starts January 12 at the same venue.

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