FRESH off their Test destruction of the West Indies, Australia are the red hot favourites to defeat the Indians in the upcoming five match one day international series, which begins on Tuesday in Perth.
The Aussies are a short $1.30 with WilliamHill.com.au to claim the series (the Indians are $3.50) after rain – and a lack of testicular fortitude from their opponents – ruined their chances of a 3-0 white wash against the West Indies.
Captain Steve Smith suggested a sporting double declaration that would have given the Aussies a target of 370 in 70 overs.
But the Windies were having none of it, captain Jason Holder preferring his side to pass 300 in an innings for the first time in the series.
They did that, reaching 330 thanks to half centuries to Kraigg Brathwaite (85), Dinesh Ramdin (62) and Carlos Brathwaite (69). Spinners Steve O’Keefe and Nathan Lyon took three wickets each.
Then the Windies watched David Warner (122 off 103 balls) smash the fastest ton ever seen on the Sydney Cricket Ground (off 82 balls), in a parting shot that underlined just how bad they were in the series, as the match petered out into a draw (Australia 2/176), when there was an opportunity to make it so much more.
Punters are predicting a tight series against India, though with the favoured correct score of 3-2 at $2.75 meaning it could all come down to the last match.
An Aussie 5-0 white wash is $7, while no one thinks the Indians can emulate that result, a $51 rank outsider for them to win 5-0.
The new look Australians are the $1.57 favourite to win the opening match at the WACA on Tuesday, with the Indians $2.40.
The Aussies have drafted in a host of fresh faces for the matches, which will be at the Gabba in Brisbane, the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Manuka Oval and Canberra and Sydney Cricket Ground over the next fortnight.
The biggest surprise was perhaps Perth Scorchers’ seamer Joel Paris and the Melbourne Stars’ Scott Boland being drafted into the side.
Neither man has played an international for Australia in any form.
The national selectors have kept a keen on the 23 year old Paris, who shot to prominence in the 2014 incarnation of the domestic Matador Cup, before spending most of the past year on the sidelines with injury. He has just the two Sheffield Shield matches to his name – for a ridiculous 14 wickets – and has bowled and fielded well for a Scorchers’ side that possesses perhaps the best bowling attack in the KFC T20 Big Bash League.
Kane Richardson has only played eight one dayers for his country, but he will be the other man entrusted with the seam bowling duties and will see his first international action since he played against South Africa in 2014.
“Kane has had a taste of cricket at the international level and although that has been interrupted on occasions through injury we think he is ready to perform consistently for Australia,“ Australian selector Rod Marsh said.
Test batsmen Usman Khawaja and Joe Burns were left out, but it might be the end of Shane Watson at international level, the polarising figure dumped for the one day series.
Marsh’s fellow selector, Trevor Hohns, said the 34 year old’s form was not good enough to warrant selection, but they were yet to put a line through his name.
“Watto by no means is out of the picture,” Hohns said.
“It’s a matter of him showing us what he can do.
“We know what we can do, but it’s up to these other guys now to grab the opportunity.
”We obviously would like to see him in better form.“
And it is hard to understand why Big Bash League star Chris Lynn was left out of the squad after his remarkable start to the domestic competition.
The number three bat has been brilliant for the Brisbane Heat, leading the competition in runs by plundering 287 runs in five innings at an average of 71.75 with a strike rate of 175. He has a century and two 50s to his name.
He has hit more sixes than any other player in the competition – 19 of them – and would certainly not be out of place in the top order with the likes of Finch and Warner.
India will be buoyed by its demolition of South Africa in its recent four Test series, but it narrowly lost the one day series, three games to two, on its home decks.
The captain MS Dhoni led his side well with the bat, striking 212 runs at an average of 53, with a high score of an unbeaten 92, while Rohit Sharma’s majestic 150 was a highlight. He led three batsmen around the 250-run mark, with Ajinkya Rahane (247 at 49.4) and test captain Virat Kohli (245 at 49).
The men named will be the keys with the bat in the Australian series.
The Indians have named five new faces from the one day squad that played in India, with Manish Pandey, Ravindra Jadeja, Rishi Dhawan, Mohammad Shami, Ishant Sharma and Brainder Sran coming in for Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Amit Mishra, Stuart Binny, Sreenath Aravind, the injured Mohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
That means the Aussies don’t have to deal with faded nemesis Singh and also don’t have to worry about Raina, who has enjoyed some success against them in the past.
“We have not written any player off – those who don’t make a cut in these two teams,” the country’s chairman of selectors Sandeep Patil said.
For the T20s, the Indians have also brought with them Yuvraj Singh and 36 year old Ashish Nehra, who will be a familiar face to the Australians, despite not having played an international of any type since 2011.
Squads
Australia: Steve Smith (captain), David Warner (vice captain), George Bailey, Scott Boland, Josh Hazlewood, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Joel Paris, Matthew Wade (wicket keeper)
India: MS Dhoni (captain) (wicket keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Rishi Dhawan, Shikhar Dhawan, Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli, Manish Pandey, Axar Patel, Ajinkya Rahane, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Gurkeerat Singh, Brainder Sran, Umesh Yadav
Odds
Series head to head:
Australia ($1.30 with WilliamHill.com.au)
India ($3.50)
Correct series score:
Australia 5-0 ($7)
Australia 4-1 ($3.25)
Australia 3-2 ($2.75)
India 3-2 ($4.25)
India 4-1 ($11)
India 5-0 ($51)
Odds provided by WilliamHill.com.au
