We will exploit WACA bounce against India: Finch
Dubai: World Champions Australia go head-to-head with former World Cup-winners India in a five-match One-Day International (ODI) series in Perth on Tuesday with their No.1 ranking in the secured in the International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings.
Australia (127 points) lead second-ranked India (114) by 13 points and even if they lose all five matches of the series, Australia will drop points but will still finish a point ahead of India.
In contrast, if India lose all the matches, they will slip behind South Africa and will join fourth-ranked New Zealand on 111 points, but will be ranked third when the ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point. To retain their second place, the 1983 and 2011 World Champions need to win at least one match of the series.
Meanwhile, in the players rankings, India boast three batsmen inside the top-10 while Australia only have Glenn Maxwell in the 10th position.
Virat Kohli is the highest-ranked batsman from either side in second. He trails No.1 ranked AB de Villiers of South Africa by 96 points but is ahead of another South African, Hashim Amla, by 28. This means the India Test captain will be aiming to produce solid performances not only to consolidate his position but also to narrow the gap to de Villiers.
Sixth-ranked Mahendra Singh Dhoni and seventh-ranked Shikhar Dhawan are separated by just 11 points, which means there can potentially be some changes in the middle of the pack depending on how these two perform. Batsmen sitting outside the top-10 and aiming for upward movement include Rohit Sharma (13th), Aaron Finch (14th), George Bailey (15th), Steven Smith (20th), David Warner (23rd), Ajinkya Rahane (28th) and James Faulkner (30th).
Looking to exploit the fast and bouncy conditions at the WACA, Australian opener Aaron Finch on Sunday said his team would look to corner the Indians early on in the opening cricket ODI on January 12.
India last played an ODI at the WACA against Australia in 2004 and even though the wicket has changed since, Finch believes the hosts can still put the visitors in a spot of bother.
“The Perth wicket has changed over the last few years. I don’t think that there is same amount of carry that used to be. But there is extra bounce and that’s something that they will have to adjust to and we can start to exploit that straightaway in the very first game of the series.
“We had a great World Cup, we had a great couple of years leading into it. So, I think we deserve that tag and there is no reason why there shouldn’t be a big build-up and such excitement around our team,” he said. (Agencies)