India vs Australia ODI series: 5 key players to watch out for
India are set to take on Australia in what will be a two-month long tour for the Men in Blue. The tour will start from November 27 with a three-match ODI series, which will be played in Sydney and Canberra. There has been massive hype heading into the series with some old and new faces back in the hunt. This will be India’s first bilateral assignment since the COVID-19 enforced break.
All eyes will be on some of the key players from both the sides as big names return back in the field in upcoming India vs Australia series. With the ODI series between IND and AUS set to commence, let us take a look at the five players to watch out from the series.
Virat Kohli
India captain Virat Kohli revealed that he battled depression during a harrowing tour of England in 2014 where he felt like the "loneliest guy in the world" after a string of failures with the bat.
In a conversation with former England player Mark Nicholas on his 'Not Just Cricket' podcast, Kohli conceded that went through a tough phase during the particularly difficult tour.
"Yes, I did," was his response when asked whether he had suffered from depression at the time.
"...it's not a great feeling to wake up knowing that you won't be able to score runs and I think all batsmen have felt that at some stage that you are not in control of anything at all," he recalled.
(Photograph:AFP)
KL Rahul
Virat Kohli didn’t have the best of IPL with the bat. While Kohli led Royal Challengers Bangalore to a playoff finish, he failed to live upto the hype as per his standards. However, Kohli’s love affair with Australia is different. All the hype around him makes him the number one player to watch out for in the series. The absence of Rohit Sharma will also put extra responsibility on Kohli’s shoulder as far as batting is concerned.
(Photograph:AFP)
Navdeep Saini
Navdeep Saini bowled well for RCB in IPL 2020. The youngster has grown as an international bowler in the last year and will look to utilize his newly-gained experience against one of the strongest sides in the world. His express pace and ability to garner extra bounce should also come handy for Saini.
(Photograph:AFP)
Steve Smith
Besides Virat Kohli, Steve Smith is the arguably the most bankable batsman in the world. Smith set the world on fire when he took on England in the Ashes and has continued his rich run of form in limited-overs cricket. The former Australian captain fared well in the IPL and would look to use the ODIs and T20Is as a platform to get the rhythm back for the much-awaited Test series.
(Photograph:AFP)
Aaron Finch
Aaron Finch had a horror outing in IPL 2020 for RCB. Despite getting a long rope, Finch didn’t fire with the willow and was found stuck in the UAE pitches. Back in the familiar turf, Finch would be hoping to get back to form and find his mojo back which made him one of the most dangerous openers in white-ball cricket.
(Photograph:AFP)