Preview: India vs Australia – 7th ODI
What
Seventh and final ODI of the series between India and Australia
When
Wednesday, November 2, 2013 at 13:30 IST (08:00 GMT)
Where
M Chinnaswami Stadium, Bengaluru
The Teams
India
India’s current ODI batting line-up is making a habit of chasing down targets of 350-plus with incredible ease. And it doesn’t look like MS Dhoni is going to alter it anytime soon. On the bowling front, however, the situation is completely contrasting. A few changes were made in the bowling attack for the sixth ODI and the same can be expected in Bengaluru.
Given the relative bounce and pace on the Bengaluru track, India might go with three pacers. Since Ravindra Jadeja is likely to sit out with shoulder strain, local boy Vinay Kumar could get another chance despite his inconsistent bowling in the series so far. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammad Shami will be the other two pacers, while Amit Mishra and R Ashwin will man the spin bowling department.
Australia
Skipper George Bailey was right in not blaming his bowlers for letting India chase down 350 in Nagpur. It wasn’t so much a reflection on Australia’s bowling as it was of the sublime form of Indian batsmen and the helpful batting conditions. However, the quality of the Aussie bowling attack will go down substantially in the seventh ODI in the absence of their most potent weapon, Mitchell Johnson, who has been released from the ODI squad to prepare for the Ashes. Either Nathan Coulter-Nile or Moises Henriques will get a go in the series decider.
Key Players
India
With his kind of form, it is hard to look beyond Virat Kohli when picking the key player for India. Playing on his IPL home ground, the RCB captain will also have the crowd behind him to buck him up. The absence of their nemesis, Johnson, could also result in some runs for India’s middle-order lefties – Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina.
Australia
Bailey has been the unrivaled best batsman in the series with a century, a couple of 90s and an 80-odd in five innings. Although he insisted the Ashes spot is not on his mind, a big finish to an outstanding series will go a long way in enhancing his chances. Another Aussie batsman who would be excited to get out in the middle for the final ODI is Shane Watson. The century in Nagpur came at the perfect time for the all-rounder who was short on runs in the first few matches. A big innings on a wicket that will suit his style of batting will hold him in good stead as he prepares to take on England. He will also have to shoulder more responsibility with the ball in the absence of Johnson.
Statistics
Matches at Bangalore
Mts Won Lost NR Tied Win%
India 18 12 4 1 1 66.66
Australia 7 3 3 1 0 42.86
Mts Ind Aus NR
Ind v Aus 5 3 1 1
India in last 5 matches at Bangalore
Date Opp Batted 1st Batted 2nd Winner
06 Mar 2011 Ire Ire 207 (47.5) Ind 210-5 (46) Ind won by 5 wickets
27 Feb 2011 Eng Ind 338 (49.5) Eng 338-8 (50) Match tied
07 Dec 2010 NZ NZ 315-7 (50) Ind 321-5 (48.5) Ind won by 5 wickets
23 Nov 2008 Eng Ind 166-4 (22) Eng 178-8 (22) Ind won by 19 runs (D/L)
29 Sep 2007 Aus Aus 307-7 (50) Ind 9-1 (2.4) No result
Results at Bangalore
Mts Won by side batting 1st Won by side batting 2nd NR Tied
Overall 23 9 11 2 1
Last 10 matches 10 3 5 1 1
Last 5 matches 5 1 3 0 1
Pace v Spin at Bangalore in last 5 matches
Wkts Avg RPO SR
Pace 41 37.07 5.79 38.39
Spin 23 51.17 5.57 55.04
Trivia
The last time India won a bilateral series of five matches or more by winning the last match of the series was against Pakistan in Pakistan in 2004. India won the first match, Pakistan then won the next two. India sealed the series by winning the last two matches of that series.
This series is the most batsmen-centric bilateral series in ODI history. The average runs-per-wicket ratio of 50.64 is the highest for a series of five matches or more.
Virat Kohli is 81 runs short of the 5000-run mark in ODIs. If he reaches the landmark tomorrow, he will become the quickest in terms of innings, taking the record from Viv Richards, who took 114 innings to do so.
Squads
India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, R. Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Vinay Kumar, Amit Mishra, Ambati Rayudu, Mohammed Shami, Jaydev Unadkat
Australia: George Bailey (Captain), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Xavier Doherty, James Faulkner, Callum Ferguson, Aaron Finch, Brad Haddin, Moises Henriques, Phil Hughes, Glenn Maxwell, Clint McKay, Adam Voges, Shane Watson.[/img]
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