IND vs AUS | India will be facing very different Australia this time around, believes Harsha Bhogle

India will be looking to close out the home season on a high with Australia coming in to the honours for the last series of the home season before the team take off for New Zealand. Often termed the “Clash of the Titans,” it is a fixture which never fails to entertain and star commentator Harsha Bhogle doesn’t believe otherwise.

Bhogle, while recalling recent encounters between the sides, shared how close the teams have been since India’s last tour Down Under as India have won 5 of the 9 encounters played between the giants of the modern game. He also pointed out that the Aussie side has become a force to be reckoned with after Steven Smith and David Warner made a come back to the national side.

“There is so little to choose between these two sides. India strong as ever in the white game but (they are) facing a very different Australia this time around. Warner has come back, Smith is back, they have got a more rounded side. But more important, so full of confidence that they have agreed to come, in the middle of their home season. They have agreed to come and play three odd games here,” Bhogle said in his blog for Cricbuzz.

While talking of the high standards and quality of both the side, Bhogle couldn’t help but point out how evenly matched the sides are. He believes that vice captain Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah will be key players for the hosts.

“There are match ups to look up to as well. There are World class players on either side,” he added. “There’s Warner coming out for Australia, Rohit Sharma coming out for India. There’s Steve Smith coming out for Australia, there’s Virat Kohli coming out. There’s Jasprit Bumrah with the ball and then there is Pat Cummins, then there’s Mohammed Shami and then there is Mitchell Starc. There are so many, just genuinely world class players.”