What looms is a battle between the current (Australia) and previous (India) ODI World Cup holders.
Advertisement
India ODI captain Dhoni said the new boys will get their chance against the world champions after the likes of Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh were overlooked.
Australia subsequently beat New Zealand in the final to win their fifth World Cup.
While he did not take names but the skipper gave ample indication that left-arm seamer Barinder Sran will be making his global debut in the series as the team will miss the services of the dependable Mohammed Shami.
The “monkeygate” run-in between Andrew Symonds and Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh in 2008 saw relations between the two countries sink to an all-time low.
Bailey noted that the pitch itself could play a role.
“In Indian cricket, we are used to getting complete products”, Dhoni said on Monday (January 11).
But Smith is unperturbed as he feels that the consistent cricket that the players have been playing, be it the BBL, the Matador Cup, or the World Cup that preceded them, would go a long way in their long-time development.
It will be interesting to see whether India’s rookie pacer Barinder Sran will make his debut on foreign soil. So, little bit of nerves but I think that’s a good thing. We do not have the luxury of just picking up complete products who can start delivering from the first game.
“They are playing an aggressive brand of cricket as well, so I don’t really see that changing in the next five games”, he said. They are a quality side so from our point of view we have got to start well and play well against them.
Bailey, the former captain of the Australian T20 team, is member of the Kings XI Punjab franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and has considerable experience of playing in Indian conditions. “Again, why would I expect a spinning track in Australia?”.
“I feel it’s very important that youngsters who get a chance get a good opportunity to bat”.
“Also we have to slightly get ahead of time”.
“As a cricketer it is very exciting to face and thrive on such challenges”.
“We (Australia and India) are both two very passionate teams”. Games will also be played at the Gabba (January 15), Melbourne Cricket Ground (January 17), Manuka Oval (January 20) and Sydney Cricket Ground (January 23). “Because we don’t really have a seaming allrounder”. If they fail, then India will have to fall back on domestic talent, and the ones who play in the ODI series in Australia. You have to back your strength. “Hopefully, it has more pace and bounce than in that Test”. When asked whether revenge was on his, or his side’s mind at all, Dhoni replied in the negative. They lost the Test series 0-2 and did not win any game in the triangular series that followed. So I won’t consider words like “revenge” and all of that, but definitely we want to do well.
“I am happy that all selectors were of the same opinion that Dhoni should be the captain till the T20 World Cup”.
Advertisement
India need Dhoni to produce match-winning efforts, which have been few and far between in recent times. Going by what Dhoni said, at the end of the series it will be 209.
