IND vs AUS | Preparations important to face Indian bowlers, asserts Aaron Finch

It will be the first time after their semifinal exit in 2019 World Cup against England that the Aussies will play in the 50-over format. They are touring India for a three-match ODI series, first ODI to be played at Wankhede on January 14. Australian captain Aaron Finch is aware of the threat possessed by the Indian bowlers. He has admitted in a press-meet before the start of the series that they would have to prepare accordingly for each Indian bowlers with some specific plans.

“You have got different challenges. You have got guys like (Jasprit) Bumrah who can move the ball… You have got the consistency of (Ravindra) Jadeja, (Yuzvendra) Chahal, Kuldeep (Yadav), so you can’t take either of the challenges lightly. You have to be prepared with your own game plan mentally to take on them,” Finch said on Friday.

Last year, the Aussies also toured India in February-March that saw their resounding fight back in the one-dayers, clinching 3-2 series win after going down 2-0 after the first two games. Finch seemed to take a lot of confidence from their last year’s performance.

“The pleasing thing from the last tour is how we were able to come back from 0-2 down to win 3-2. That made a really big statement. Once you get behind in the series, you don’t give up, you keep chipping in one game at a time and try to get back to the series bit by bit. And you start that by sticking to the basics. For us, to go away and continue to win and challenge the best teams in the world on a regular basis is really important to us. It’s something that we are excited for the challenge,” expressed the captain.

Spinning all-rounder Ashton Agar has found his place in the squad alongside the regular Adam Zampa and further they have roped in D'Arcy Short as a replacement for the injured bowler Sean Abbott. Keeping India’s spinning tracks in mind, Finch believes him to play a pivotal role in the upcoming series.

“The package that he brings with his with his batting and left-arm spin bowling is going to be a really important part of our side. He is someone, who we are hoping, can start fill up the role of an all-rounder more often,” concluded Finch.