Bengaluru: With the series effectively sealed in the third ODI at Indore, and the Australians still finding their back against the wall, the onus is on Virat Kohli-led India to go for the jugular in the penultimate ODI at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Thursday.
Now, it’s a scenario of two teams vying against each other with contrasting streaks. The visitors, having lost their last 11 ODIs away from home, are looking to end their miserable run, while India have a shot at history – winning 10 matches on the trot.
Both teams will be praying that portent of showers, which affected training sessions on Wednesday, doesn’t dampen proceedings.
India who have been buoyed throughout the series by a combination of incisive bowling and decisive striking power could go in with an unchanged XI. Hardik Pandya has been a standout performer with his all-rounder abilities. He has scored 181 runs and scalped five wickets. Pandya’s purple patch will, undoubtedly, be key in tricky conditions.
While the batting has looked consistently solid over many a home series, India’s bowling arsenal looks well-stocked and loaded. Lending credence to the notion, the team have consistently operated with five bowlers through the series as opposed to Australia’s numerous-yet-ineffective options. The twin-spin symphony of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav cascaded upon the Aussies in all three games, and the former believes there will be no let-up in intensity.
“Our spinners have taken 13 wickets as compared to the Australian spinners. We have used the conditions much better than them. Adam Zampa is the only wrist spinner in their team and he is not featuring in the XI consistently.
“Although we have won the series, we are gunning for a 5-0 whitewash,” said Chahal at a press conference on Wednesday.
Zampa is being brought back into the fold to replace the injured Ashton Agar, who is out with a broken finger. The lack of options in the department underscores the Aussie woes in sub-continental conditions where spin is king.
Chahal enjoys bowling in tandem with Kuldeep and the two operate with meticulous precision on and off the pitch.
“If I bowl first, then I tell him (Kuldeep) that the wicket is providing this kind of assistance (and vice-versa). We also discuss what ball to bowl to which batsmen. We always have plans,” Chahal said.
Ever the thorn in the flesh of Glenn Maxwell, the Haryana bowler said how he managed to dismiss the all-rounder in all three games so far.
“My plan to Maxwell is not to bowl at the stumps. I tend to bowl outside the off-stump and I vary my pace. I know that if I can bowl two-three dot balls, he will step out and try to play an aggressive shot,” Chahal added.
Track record in Bengaluru
HIGHEST INNINGS TOTALS
India 383/6 in 50 overs vs Australia in 2013
Australia 347/2 in 50 overs vs India in 2003
LOWEST INNINGS TOTALS
India 168 in 42.1 overs vs Pakistan in 1999
Australia 215/7 in 50 overs vs India in 1996
HIGHEST INDIVIDUAL SCORES
India 209 Rohit Sharma vs Australia in 2013
Australia 130 Michael Clarke vs India in 2007
BEST BOWLING PERFORMANCES
India 5/31 Yuvraj Singh vs Ireland in 2011
Australia 4/46 Brett Lee vs Canada in 2011
