By India Today Sports Desk: The Border-Gavaskar trophy truly delivered as India and Australia put on a show for both sets of fans during the course of the four Tests.
We will see India and Australia at the Oval for the World Test Championship final in June, but for now, the action will now switch to the limited-overs format with both teams playing three ODI matches before the IPL 2023 season.
India have announced a strong side for the ODI series with Jaydev Unadkat being rewarded with a comeback for his performances in the domestic circuit. Australia will miss their captain Pat Cummins, who will not be returning to India for the series. Steve Smith, who did the role of stand-in skipper well during the last two BGT Tests, will be captain.
Despite this, the Aussies will be no pushovers as they will welcome back Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh into the fold.
The series will be a crucial one for Rohit Sharma, who will miss the first ODI, and the Indian team as they look to build towards the ODI World Cup 2023 towards the latter portion of the year.
Given it is a home World Cup, India will go in as the hot favourites. However, the weight of expectations in ICC events has been a tough one for India over the past few years.
Victory in the series against Australia will be key for India as they get set for the mega event and we analyze why it is the case.
Australia the biggest test of the year so far
India ended last year not in the best of fashions as they lost the series to Bangladesh. 2023 has started on the right note for India, however, as they had series wins over Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
With no disrespect towards both teams, Australia will present a far superior test to this Indian side in their preparations for the World Cup. The likes of Steve Smith, Maxwell, Marsh and Adam Zampa have shown that they’re successful in Indian conditions, while Travis Head will look to continue his fine form from BGT.
Josh Inglis was a revelation in the BBL and he could be looking for a chance to show his worth. Marcus Stoinis and David Warner will also be out to prove a point.
These elements make the contest and the series even more interesting.
Avoiding the T20 World Cup mistake
While India made it to the T20 World Cup semi-finals, the build-up to the tournament wasn’t great. The Indian team management struggled to find the best possible combination for the tournament, while the eventual champions England had well-defined roles for each player.
A repeat of this mistake cannot be afforded in the year of the World Cup once again and the series against Australia will be the perfect stage to find the right players for the right roles. Speaking of which….
Finding the right players and their roles
India will be without the services of Rishabh Pant for the World Cup this year and Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness is a big question mark. While it seems like Shubman Gill is winning the race for the opener slot, that’s another position India will need a set batter heading into the ICC event.
A back-up for Bumrah will be of importance in the year as well, and the Australia series will be the perfect setting for finding the stars for the squad.
The stakes will be very high in the series and it’s all about momentum for both the players and the team as a whole. Nothing more than a series win will do for India and they would have to be on the money when the first ball is bowled at the Wankhede stadium on the 17th of March.
Source: India Today
