India secured a comfortable victory against a full-strength Australia at Mohali on Friday. India found a significant positive in the form of middle-order batsman Suryakumar Yadav, who finally got some runs under his belt after multiple failures in ODI cricket.
With the win on Friday, KL Rahul-led India goes 1-0 up in the 3 Match ODI series against the visitors and will be looking for a series win over the Pat Cummins-led Australia in the 2nd ODI, scheduled to take place on Sunday, September 24th. The match will be played at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore.
Australia’s over-dependency on their all-rounders backfired, as they compromised with their bowling in the first ODI. Pat Cummins must be eagerly awaiting the return of Australian left-handed speedster Mitchell Starc and all-rounder Glenn Maxwell, who are recovering from injuries. Moreover, Travis Head’s hand injury proved to be costly for the Australian team.
Everything looks good in the Indian camp except for Shreyas Iyer, as he has yet to make an impact with the bat since his comeback from injury. In the first ODI, Iyer was unfortunately run out at a score of 3. Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar could get a chance in the second ODI in place of Jasprit Bumrah and Shardul Thakur/Ravindra Jadeja, respectively.
What have they done so far?
After the World Test Championship Final loss in June, India toured the West Indies for 2 Tests, 3 ODIs, and 5 T20Is. Questions arose after a T20I series loss. India then played a 3-match T20I series under Jasprit Bumrah’s captaincy, resting key players.
India defeated Australia by five wickets in the series opener
Following that, Team India’s fortunes turned around. They dominated the Asia Cup 2023, winning it in style with a 10-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the finals. India continued their success with a 5-wicket win against Australia in the first ODI courtesy of a 5-fer by Mohammed Shami.
The biggest positives for India in recent months are Kuldeep Yadav’s confident bowling after working on his bowling speed, the comebacks of Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah after injury and the consistent performances of India’s top 3.
Talking about Australia, they won the WTC Finals against India and then played in similar English conditions in the 5-Test Ashes series against England. However, After winning the first two Ashes Tests, they missed the opportunity, and England drew the series 2-2 with one match ending in a draw.
After a nearly month-long gap, Australia travelled to South Africa to play 3 T20Is and a 5 Match ODI series. Australia whitewashed South Africa in the T20I series but couldn’t replicate that success in the ODI series. After going up 2-0, they lost by 3-2. The key takeaways from the last few months included Marnus Labuschagne’s form in the white-ball format, particularly in ODIs.
Head to Head Record
Both teams have clashed against each other 147 times, with Australia leading in ODI wins with 82 victories. However, India is closing the gap with 55 ODI wins against the Aussies.
Moreover, out of the 147 games, 10 ended in no results, resulting in draws. Australia will face the hosts India for the 148th time in One Day Internationals on Sunday.
Key Players
Shubman Gill (India): After a lacklustre series in the West Indies, Gill has been in top-notch form since the Asia Cup 2023. The 24-year-old Gill showcased his elegance in the Asia Cup and has continued his prime form in the first ODI as well.
Shubman Gill Provides the Perfect Start for India While Chasing 277 in First ODI
In 2023, Gill scored 1126 runs in ODIs with an average of 70.38. Given his current form, he appears unstoppable and capable of posting a big score in the 2nd ODI in Indore, known for its short boundaries and good batting surface.
Marnus Labuschagne (Australia): Labuschagne aims to solidify his place in the team to secure a spot in the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 squad. Labuschagne has worked on his technique, especially in ODI cricket, and has shown his ability to score in this format as well. He will play a critical role in the middle order, rotating the strike for Australia.
Labuschagne has been doing well since the start of 2023, as he is the highest run-scorer for the Australian ODI side, with 365 runs scored in 8 innings he has played, averaging 52.14. If we compare this to the previous year, Labuschagne scored 331 runs in 14 innings with an average of 25.46 in 2022. Looking at these stats, he has certainly improved after facing heavy criticism regarding his ODI technique.
Predicted XIs
India: Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul © (wk), Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami.
Australia: David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Pat Cummins ©, Sean Abbott, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.
Prediction
India would be the favorites for the second ODI, as the hosts will be high on confidence after the first ODI. With the improved captaincy of KL Rahul, Gill’s extraordinary form, and a focused Suryakumar Yadav along with an effective Indian bowling lineup, everything looks good for Team India.
Talking about Australia, the visitors know how to come back from tough situations. A lot depends on the bowling of the visitors, as it’s the main weakness in their squad. However, the availability of Maxwell and Starc is still unknown.