CUTTACK: With rain reducing the bilateral series to a five-match affair and India trailing, Australian opener Aaron Finch feels that the pressure will be on the home side to win the remaining two one-dayers.
“India have to win two to clinch the series, we have to win one to win the series. So that’s a position we obviously are happy being. It’s a case of two games to go. It’s like a mini-final series. It’s definitely positive being 2-1 up, better than being 1-2 down. We can’t control the weather,” Finch told reporters after the match between the two sides was called off due to wet outfield without a single ball being bowled, here today.
This was a second successive wash out in the series after Ranchi where the match was called off with India on 27 for no loss in 4.1 overs, chasing Australia’s 296.
The destructive opener said Australia will seek to clinch the series by taking an unassailable 3-1 lead in the sixth match in Nagpur.
“We’ve still two games left. We’re very confident that we’re playing good cricket at the moment and I’m sure India as well. They were in a good position the other night (in Ranchi) when the game was called off unfortunately.”
Such wash-outs mean the days are long for the team members as Finch said: “Yesterday we had a big table tennis tournament as a squad. It was just a bit of fun. There is not a lot you can do around the hotel, with a pool table, a table tennis table.”
“A lot of coffee was drunk. They are quite long days, and very boring days sometimes when you’re sitting around not knowing what’s happening the following day, whether you’re going to play or not, whether it’s going to be a short game. So it’s just very boring, really.”
High scoring totals have been the norm of the series and Finch attributed it to the batsmen-friendly new rules.
“I think one-day cricket has become very entertaining now. There was probably a chance that Twenty20 could overtake it as the entertaining game, so to speak. But I think the way the game has changed now. The new rules have made it extremely exciting,” he said.
“The scores that we are seeing all around the world now are exceptional. 300 is almost becoming a par score.” (PTI)
