As the Men in Blue gears for this high-voltage clash, they have plenty of threats awaiting, with Australia entering with their most formidable unit.
India will take on Australia in the most-awaited contest of the World Cup 2023. As the Men in Blue gears for this high-voltage clash, they have plenty of threats awaiting, with Australia entering with their most formidable unit. Their bowlers will pose obstacles at every step for the high-flying Indian batting side.
Shubman Gill’s absence will haunt India severely, as he was their best batter and looked set to take the World Cup stage by storm. Ishan Kishan will open along with Rohit Sharma, and the issues will follow them immediately. First, Mitchell Starc will exploit the weaknesses of the top order with his left-arm pace.
Rohit Sharma’s early nerves against the left-arms are palpable, and Ishan Kishan struggles when the ball moves. Since 2022, the Indian skipper has averaged 23.75 and lost his wicket four times against the left-arm pacers in the powerplay. While Rohit has found ample success against Mitchell Starc, he has been dismissed thrice in the ODIs.
Ishan Kishan has improved massively, but he is susceptible to the deliveries outside the off-stump and the inswingers at a reasonable pace early on. He does become tentative if beaten at the start of his innings. Virat Kohli averages 14 and has been dismissed thrice against the left-arm speedsters in the powerplay since 2022.
The solace, however, is his record against Mitchell Starc is top-notch. He averages 121 and strikes at 101.68 against him in the 50-over format. However, Starc will still be a danger for Kohli if he arrives within the first few overs.
If Virat Kohli somehow manages to get past Mitchell Starc, he won’t have breathing space from the other end. Josh Hazlewood has dismissed him four times in 60 balls, while Kohli has accumulated only 38 runs. Playing 58.33% dot balls hasn’t helped his case, either.
These are some of the significant threats for the top-order batters. However, the bigger and stiffer challenge will be Adam Zampa on a sluggish Chennai track. Zampa has been India’s nemesis for some time in this format.
The leg-spinner has troubled every Indian batter in the past, and if the track is on the slower side, the problems will only increase for the Men in Blue. Rohit also expects a tired surface for their maiden game of the season.
“I think quite similar (pitch like in March earlier in the year vs Australia). Although in March it was quite hot, I don’t think it is that hot now,” exclaimed Rohit in the press conference.
With India possessing three quality spinners in their rank, the pitch might assist the spinners. It’s not that the pacers won’t have a say, but the spinners will hold the key for both teams. India have looked out of sorts against the crafty tweakers on the slow and turning pitches.
While the Indian batters have a decent record against the leg-spinners lately, their record against Australia’s premium spinner, Adam Zampa, is baffling. Zampa has troubled everyone in the Indian batting unit. When India last played an ODI against Australia in March earlier this year, the spinners scalped six Indian batters, with Zampa taking four.
The Indian captain also discussed this game and alerted his batters not to make a similar mistake this time.
“We played against Australia on this very same venue in March, and we were slightly behind in that game. But we exactly knew what went wrong for us. So, hopefully, we shouldn’t repeat that mistake that we made in that game in March.”
To overcome another debacle, India will have to tackle Adam Zampa effectively. However, Zampa has found ample success against every Indian batter.
While Rohit Sharma has struck at 99.21, Adam Zampa has dismissed him four times in the ODIs. Ishan Kishan has also lost his wicket once in 10 balls off Zampa. Virat Kohli has been Adam Zampa’s most frequent prey.
Kohli has lost his wicket as many as five times while averaging 46 against Adam Zampa. While Kohli has shown significant improvement against the spinners, this record is worrying. Zampa’s variations will become more effective and threatening if there is some grip and turn on offer.
Similarly, Shreyas Iyer has also lost his wicket twice in 64 balls while striking at 87.50 against the leg-spinner. KL Rahul’s record is shocking, as Zampa has sent him back four times in 10 innings. Despite Rahul being an excellent player of spin, he has stuck against Zampa.
Hardik Pandya has hit Zampa at 140.84 but got out four times in 71 balls as well. Ravindra Jadeja has also lost his wicket thrice in 75 balls against Adam. His strike rate of 64 is not convincing, either.
Adam Zampa has troubled almost every batter expected to be in the Indian batting lineup today. While Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul are adept against the spin bowling, the big guns like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have shown negative signs lately. Their skillsets are not very convincing, especially on the tracks suiting the spinners.
In the Asia Cup 2023, the Indian batting lineup fell off like a pack of cards in Colombo on a turning pitch. So, the doubts will definitely resurface when a class bowler like Adam Zampa operates. Not to forget Glenn Maxwell’s utility off-spin, either.
In the third ODI, a few backs, Maxwell agitated the top order of the Indian team severely and cleaned the top four himself. He picked the wickets of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer in Rajkot while giving only four runs an over.
His overall value as a spinner will rise considerably in this game. So, even if India escapes the new-ball threat against Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa and Glenn Maxwell will make sure to apply equal pressure. Maxwell can also bowl a few overs with the new ball if the pitch allows.
Even if Maxwell doesn’t pick as many wickets, his tight lines will pile on the pressure, resulting in the dismissals from the other end. Zampa’s enhanced version knows to snare wickets consistently. His immaculate lengths with subtle pace variations have taken down the best batters in recent years.
It’s a World Cup game. India have an in-form and skilled batting, but Australia are aware of the areas to target. They will leave no stone unturned in making life arduous for the famed Indian batting unit.
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