Preview
India had a horror start to their Cricket World Cup Super League campaign with the ODI in Sydney on Friday seeing them concede their highest total in ODIs against Australia. The first two ODIs of the series are to be played in Sydney, so in similar conditions, India’s task could multiply.
Their bowlers went for runs and the batsmen failed to cope with the bounce on the Sydney wicket. The challenge multiplies as the surface is expected to slow down for the second game. Adam Zampa had a major role in the first ODI and India could potentially look to bring in Kuldeep Yadav in the mix for Chahal.
Australia, on the other hand, have a forced change with Marcus Stoinis out injured. Cameron Green could make a debut although an outside chance remains for them to field someone Moises Henriques.
Team news and predicted XI
India have a decision to make with the ball as Navdeep Saini and Yuzvendra Chahal looked below par. Both could move out with Kuldeep Yadav and Shadul Thakur or T Natarajan coming in .
Australia will have Green likely in the middle. They might also be looking to rotate their seamers, so Pat Cummins might get a game off. Likely, they will bring in Sean Abbott or Ashton Agar as an additional spin option (assuming Green bowls a few overs of pace).
Predicted XI
India
Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.
Australia
Aaron Finch, David Warner, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa
Fantasy tips
- Australia’s top four are must picks again but Maxwell’s form is unreliable. Finch is the highest run-scorer in 2020 in ODIs and is a good pick as is Warner, who is due a big knock and can be used as captain.
- Expect Steven Smith and Marnus Labuschagne to come in to the mix again with the latter a good player of spin too.
- Mohammed Shami is a wicket-taker and us a trustable pick even if he goes for runs. Bumrah can be picked for Starc if you deem the latter a less wicket-taking option.
- Zampa and Hardik had good games and seem to be on top of their game. They are handy picks.
- Rahul didn’t convert his knock into a big one but is a reliable pick, especially with Iyer struggling.
Fantasy XI
KL Rahul
Virat Kohli
David Warner
Steven Smith
Marnus Labuschagne
Aaron Finch
Hardik Pandya
Mohammed Shami
Adam Zampa
Mitchell Starc
Josh Hazlewood
