India vs Australia | If KL Rahul fires, India have almost perfect team, opines Dean Jones

02/23/2019

Dean Jones has been of the opinion that the one thing that's preventing India from being a perfect team is KL Rahul ahead of the Aussies series. The former Australian batsman also mentioned that the Indian team would be the favourites in the upcoming limited-overs series against the Kangaroos.

India will take on Australia in limited-overs series in February and March before the commencement of the Indian Premier League and the two-match T20I series and five-match ODI series would be proper preparation for the Men in Blue ahead of the upcoming cricket World Cup in England from May 30. The selectors have included out of form top-order batsman KL Rahul for all the matches with the management givng him one last chance to click against the Aussies.

Former Aussie batsman Jones has underlined the fact that the series against the Kangaroos would be a reminder for the players about their respective roles ahead of the global event in England.

"India are going with KL Rahul, who hasn't played well of late but gets another opportunity, with Rishabh Pant. If Rahul fires, they've almost got the perfect team! Shikhar Dhawan is another player who needs to get some runs. So this whole series for the hosts is about reminding players what their roles are, and that opportunity is everything. India, no doubt, will be trying to win the T20 series and then smash Australia in the ODI series as well. They really don't need this series; they are settled. They probably have just two spots to pick for their World Cup team: Reserve 'keeper, and where to fit Rahul into their recipe for success. Australia on the other hand probably have six to seven spots!" Jones wrote in his TOI column.

In their tour Down Under, the Indian side had drawn the T20I series 1-1 while got the better of the Aussies in the ODIs by a margin of 2-1 matches earlier this year. Meanwhile, Jones has stated that the visiting side would not be able to win the series.

"Can Australia win this series? No, I don't think they can. Like the Apollo 13, I'm trying to see how they can make it a successful mission. Australia need to get their reputation back of being world beaters, bring some fear back into the opposition. That's what this tour is about for Australia!” explained Jones.

With all the teams’ preparations at the final stage before the World Cup, Jones has asserted that this would be the one final chance for the Indians to be ready for the event while the Aussies will be playing against Pakistan prior to the World Cup.

"The big question is what do India and Australia want out of this T20 and ODI series? This is the last chance for India to finalise plans before the IPL and then there's the World Cup. Australia, on the other hand, have 10 ODI matches before the World Cup, and sadly, Steve Smith and David Warner still have problems with their elbows and will not be able to play until about the fourth match against Pakistan next month.

"Australia has more holes in this team at the moment than a fish net! What they need now is some calmness and stability. They've got to fix up the top end with the bat, particularly for the T20s. So that allows an opportunity for D'Arcy Short, who has got to improve because he hasn't played well in India before. Handscomb will get an opportunity to bat high along with Maxwell and Turner. Aaron Finch needs runs desperately," Jones concluded.

India vs Australia | If KL Rahul fires, India have almost perfect team, opines Dean Jones

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