India vs Australia: Players to watch out for barring Virat Kohli, Steve Smith

Mumbai: India and Australia are all set to battle each other in the five match ODI series starting on Sunday. Australia’s last tour to India came in March, with a four-Test series. The hosts were right on the back foot as Australia played out of their skin.In the end Virat Kohli led India won the series 2-1.

Both the teams will now shift their focus on the shorter format of the game. After been knocked of the Champions Trophy in England the Australians have hardly played ODI cricket. The Aussies recently finished with their tour to Bangladesh where they held to 1-1 draw in the three match test series.

Meanwhile Team India will be boosting with confidence after trashing Sri Lanka 9-0 in thee recently concluded series and will be hoping to continue their form against the might Australians.

Post the ODI series, both the teams will be involved in a three-match T20 series, starting on October 7.

Here are some of the players from both the sides who will have a chance to set the stage on fire and prove their mettle in the fiery series.

Team India

Manish Pandey

The Karnataka batsman has been in and out of the national team. His recent scores in the ODI series against Sri Lanka have shown that the talented Karnataka batsman is certainly a good addition to the middle order. The ODI series against visiting Australians will give him a chance to cement his place in the national side.

Apart from being a talented batsman, Pandey is lightning quick on the field as well, which perfectly fits the standard of ODI cricket. The assurance of a long run in the national side will only add to his confidence and prove himself in the future.

Ravinder Jadeja:

Left arm spinner has been recalled for the ODI series vs Australia after Axar Patel injured his ankle during the practice session on Friday. Jadeja was also rested for the five match series against Sri Lanka. A very handy player with both bat and ball, the all-rounder will be looking to get enough runs and wickets to help India secure victory over formidable Australian side.

KL Rahul

With Shikhar Dhawan out of the first three ODI’s, KL Rahul will be looking to cash in on the opportunity if given a chance to open the innings.

While the Indian team continues to keep faith in their opening combination of Dhawan and Rohit, Rahul will only hope to cement a place in the side’s the middle order and for that, he has to bring his best foot forward against Australia.

Kuldeep Yadav

The left-arm chinaman needs no introduction. Yadav has made quite a name for himself in his small international career. With Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal in the line-up, Kuldeep will have to wait for his opportunity to make it into playing 11.

Kuldeep made his international debut against Australia at the Dharamsala Test earlier this year, which turned out to be a memorable one for the youngster as most of the Aussies failed to pick his bowling. Kuldeep will be licking his fingers to bowl at some of the Aussies who are traditionally not great players of spin.

Team Australia

Glenn Maxwell

Glenn Maxwell has been a popular figure in India, especially after his stint with Indian Premier League side Kings XI Punjab. On his day, the hard-hitting Australian can change the game on its head, while his off-spin bowling and electric fielding gives a cutting edge to the Australian line-up.

The all-rounder, who was dropped from the side, is now back and has a point to prove. Maxwell struggled in the warm-up match against Washington Sundar and co., but it only takes one hit for him to get going.

Adam Zampa

Adam Zampa will have an important role to play in the Aussie setup as he will be leading his side's spin attack alongside part-timer Glenn Maxwell. The series against India will allow Zampa to prove his mettle but also propel him into the limelight.

The leggie will have his task cut out as he will be bowling to the best players of spin in the world cricket. Zampa is well-versed with Indian conditions having featured significantly in IPL 2017 and he will want to put that experience to good effect and help his side take home the series.

Marcus Stoinis

The All-rounder had a sensational start to his India tour, contributing with both bat and ball in his side's 103-run victory against the Board President's XI. The 28-year-old scored a blistering 60-ball 76 and also picked up a wicket whilst conceding just 13 runs in 4 overs.

The burden will be on him to provide his side with quick runs at the death and also break a partnership or two with the ball. Stoinis who is guaranteed to be a part of the playing eleven, will be given the responsibility to score runs against Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the death overs.

The task seems to be a bit difficult but the Aussie will need to find a way of scoring runs against the best death bowlers in the side.