Cricketing contests between India and Australia have traditionally always had a bit of rancour, especially since Sourav Ganguly made Steve Waugh wait for the toss more than a decade ago.
Given this background, it's a bit surprising that India’s limited overs series against Australia, which starts in Perth on Tuesday, has not enjoyed the usual hype. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that the tour is only limited to five One Day Internationals and three Twenty20 Internationals. The absence of Test matches does go some way in depriving the contest of a bit of context.
Another factor is that without any major ODI tournament coming up, both teams are in the process of rebuilding. India have the familiar big names in Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, but they have also brought several youngsters to Australia, probably in the hope of grooming them for the future. The Australian side is almost unrecognisable, having made a slew of changes owing to the absence of some key players because of retirement or injury.
Even so, the contest still retains its edge. Here are five reasons why you should keep on eye on proceedings:
1. Virat Kohli’s ODI record against Australia in Australia
India’s explosive new Test captain is widely regarded as among the best batsmen of his generation, but there is a curious anomaly about his ODI record against Australia in their backyard. And while it is untrue that Kohli has not performed in Australia – he has done exceedingly well in the longest format of the game – he has somehow struggled against the same opposition in the shorter formats, with an average of just about 16 in seven matches. Kohli will definitely look to correct this aberration in his otherwise outstanding record in this series.
2. Dhoni needs a series win
He is India’s most successful captain but had a wretched 2015. India’s last series win under Dhoni came against the West Indies in 2014. Since then, under Dhoni's captaincy, they crashed to defeats against Bangladesh and then against South Africa at home. The knives are out and sharpened and the murmurs of his impending retirement are growing. Australia is going be a tough destination, but if the captain wants to silence his critics, this is his best opportunity yet.
3. Australia’s young blood
There has been a lot of talk about the newcomers in India’s squad, but Australia also have a lot of new names. There’s no Mitchell Starc, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson or Michael Clarke. It's very much a new-look Australian pace attack, with a bunch of names that Indian fans may not be remotely familiar with. There’s Joel Paris, a left-arm quick who will look to emulate Starc and Johnson, and also Scott Boland, a right-arm pacer from Victoria.
4. The Ashwin-Jadeja combo
Aided by some helpful tracks at home, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja sizzled against the hapless South Africans. But Australia will prove to be the real test. In fact, Jadeja was earlier dropped from the team after a poor show in Bangladesh while Ashwin has traditionally struggled away from home. The duo play an integral role in MS Dhoni’s ODI tactics and will need to come good on unfriendly tracks.
5. The Steve Smith factor
The young Australian captain is in the form of his life. His superlative performances recently earned him the 2015 ICC Cricketer of the Year award. And he simply loves playing against India irrespective of the format. During India's tour a year ago, they were unable to contain the 26-year-old. If it’s a similar story this time around, India can bid a quick goodbye to their chances of winning the series.
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